Family Matters
by cleotheo
Summary: Shortly after Lucius is released from Azkaban, Narcissa is attacked and ends up in hospital. Draco and Hermione return to the country to support his parents, and while Hermione is getting to know her father-in-law she also has to deal with seeing her friends for the first time in years.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Welcome to my new story. As usual it's already finished and has 10 chapters and an epilogue in total. While Draco and Hermione don't feature in this chapter, it sets the story up and they make an appearance in the next chapter.**

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><p>As usual the island in the North Sea which housed the wizarding prison, Azkaban, had a biting chill to it. While the Dementors were no longer allowed inside the prison walls they still hovered around the prison, giving the place a foreboding atmosphere. Even though they were outside the Dementors still affected the weaker prisoners. There was however a few strong minded individuals in Azkaban, who weren't as affected by the Dementors that resided outside of the stone building.<p>

Lucius Malfoy was one of those prisoners that the Dementors rarely affected. He was also the reason why Aurors, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, were at the prison. A mere eight years after Voldemort's downfall the blond wizard was being released, much to the pair's dismay. Harry and Ron had fought against the decision to release Lucius, but he had a good lawyer on his side and the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt insisted that Lucius had paid his debt to society. Over the course of the last eight years he'd given the Ministry lots of information about Death Eaters they'd failed to capture, but still Harry and Ron thought he was getting off lightly.

When Harry and Ron entered the office at the prison they found Lucius's wife, Narcissa was already present, as was Lucius's lawyer. Lucius's lawyer informed the Aurors that the head guard had gone to retrieve Lucius.

"Joy." Ron muttered quietly. "We get to release another Death Eater onto the streets."

Narcissa glared at the redheaded wizard, but before she had a chance to say anything the door to the office opened and the head guard entered followed by her husband. Forgetting all about the disapproving Aurors, Narcissa rushed forward and embraced Lucius. While Lucius looked slightly worse for wear after his eight years in Azkaban, Narcissa was confident that once he was back home and had settled in he would be back to his old self in no time.

"I can't believe you're coming home." Narcissa told her husband. Over the last few weeks she'd been convinced that something bad would happen and Lucius would be kept in Azkaban for longer.

"Neither can I." Lucius replied. "It might sink in once I'm settled back at home."

"As touching as this reunion is, let's go on with the official business of signing the release papers." Harry said. While he didn't agree with Lucius been released, he also didn't want to hang around Azkaban for too long.

"And of course we need to go over the conditions of your release." Ron added.

"I know the conditions." Lucius said. "You've put a spell on my wand so you can track which spells I'm using for a year. I also have to reside at the Manor for the next year and have to report to the Ministry any time the Aurors feel the need to check up on me."

At one time Lucius would have complained about the restrictions on his movements and magic, but now all he wanted was to be free. He'd been stuck in Azkaban for eight years, and all he wanted was to be reunited with his family. Despite Narcissa visiting every week, it wasn't the same as being with her day in and day out. And as for Draco, he only saw his son occasionally as Draco now lived in France.

Harry and Ron reluctantly went over all the paperwork with Lucius and his lawyer before handing the former Death Eater back his wand. Once everything was official they activated a portkey for the Malfoy's, which would transport them to the Ministry. From there they could make their own way home.

"I really hope we don't have to see him again." Ron complained as they watched the Malfoy's and their lawyer disappear back to the Ministry.

"Hopefully the other Aurors can deal with his check-ups." Harry said. "Surely Kingsley can't make us deal with him."

"Let's hope not." Ron sighed. "I guess we better get the paperwork back to the Ministry."

Leaving Azkaban behind, Harry and Ron headed back to work where the filed all of Lucius's paperwork. Now the wizard was a free man they hoped they would never have to deal with him again. In their opinion Lucius and his entire family was bad news, and they wanted nothing to do with the Malfoy's.

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><p>A week after being released from Azkaban, Lucius was still adjusting to being back at home. Narcissa was also adjusting to being back at the Manor since she'd spent the majority of the last eight years living in France alongside Draco. It was only when they'd received a definite release date for Lucius that she'd returned home and set about making the Manor habitable once again.<p>

In the week since his release, Lucius had spoken to Draco via the floo network but he hadn't actually seen him in person. Lucius had decided he wanted to settle in properly before he saw his son, and met his daughter-in-law. Lucius was fully aware of who his son had married, and while it had come to a shock to him when he found out, he'd promised Draco that he wouldn't cause trouble. Luckily he'd had time to come to terms with who Draco's wife was before he actually had to meet her face to face.

"I'm off to the shops." Narcissa announced, poking her head into Lucius's study. Her husband didn't actually have any work to do since Draco now ran the family business, but the study was still his own private space and it was where Lucius felt comfortable.

"Have fun." Lucius smiled at his wife.

"Do you want to join me?" She asked. Since being released Lucius hadn't left the Manor, and Narcissa didn't want her husband to become a hermit.

"Not today." Lucius replied.

"You can't hide away forever." Narcissa advised. "Sooner or later you're going to have to face the world."

"Do I?" Lucius raised a questioning eyebrow at his wife. "We both know we're only here because I have to reside at the Manor for the next year. You had a life in France, Draco has a life in France. Are you honestly suggesting we're going to be staying here long term?"

"You never know, Draco might decide to return home." Narcissa replied.

"I may not have seen Draco that often, but even I know he has no intention of returning to England. Draco and his wife are settled in France, and the impression I got was that they were perfectly content." Lucius said.

"They are, but you never know when things might change." Narcissa told her husband. "For example, children might change their plans."

"Children?" Lucius's eyes widened at the thought of grandchildren. While he would like grandchildren one day he would much rather get to know his daughter-in-law first.

"I'm talking in the future, Lucius." Narcissa chuckled at her husband's shocked expression. "I'm just saying that when they have children they might want them to go to Hogwarts."

"Or they might want to keep them as far away as possible." Lucius argued. "Let's be honest Narcissa, I've done a lot of damage to the family name. Because of me Draco was dragged into things, and despite everything he endured in the war there's still people who think of him as a bad person. Any Malfoy attending Hogwarts will find it difficult, so maybe it's better if our grandchildren attended a different school."

"That's not our decision to make." Narcissa replied. "I just think we need to think about all of our options. At the minute it appears we'll be heading to France once you're conditions are lessened, but things might change. You can't hide away for the next year."

"I know." Lucius admitted with a sigh. "But I'm not ready to face people yet. You go and do your shopping in peace."

"Okay, but we will be leaving this house sometime soon." Narcissa warned her husband. "We are not going to hide away. You've served your time, and helped capture plenty of wizards who are darker and more dangerous than yourself. You are not going to sit around sulking, you are going to get back out in the world and ignore all your critics. Malfoy's don't care what people say about them, we're strong enough not to let gossip bother us."

Lucius smiled at Narcissa's determination as he watched his wife leave his study. No doubt before long she'd have him out of the house and back in the public eye. He just didn't realise he was going to be leaving the Manor quite so soon after his wife's departure on her shopping trip.

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><p>"Harry, Ron, I have an assignment for you two." Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, called as she entered the Auror department. The Head Auror was busy with another case, so she'd just picked on the first two Aurors she'd seen upon entering the room looking for Aurors. "There's been an attack in Diagon Alley, the victim has been taken to St Mungo's and her husband informed of the situation."<p>

"Was there dark magic involved?" Harry questioned.

"That's what we pay you to find out." Amelia retorted. "Head down to Diagon Alley and question the witnesses before you head to the hospital. There's a couple of M.L.E officers at the scene, they can fill you in on what happened."

"Who's the victim, and are they badly hurt?" Ron asked.

"The victim is Narcissa Malfoy, and from what I know she was unconscious when they took her into St Mungo's." Amelia replied, before she left the department with orders for the pair to get a move on and head to the crime scene.

"This is a complete waste of time." Ron grumbled as he and Harry left the office. "She'll have been attacked because of that husband of hers. I've seen loads of articles in the paper moaning about his release, and several of them mentioned how lenient she and Malfoy got off after the war."

"I agree, this is retaliation for Lucius's release." Harry said, nodding along with his best friend's opinions. "Unfortunately, we still have to investigate."

"I know, it's just bugs me that we have to waste our time on people like the Malfoy's." Ron sighed. "They deserve everything they get in my opinion."

"I couldn't agree more." Harry said.

Despite their own personal views on the Malfoy's, Harry and Ron still had to head to Diagon Alley to begin the investigation. Unsurprisingly, witnesses were scare. The few people that would admit to seeing something, all said the same thing. They'd seen a figure in a dark robe barge into Narcissa and roughly shove her, when she fell she banged her head on the cobbled street. A pool of blood on the cobbles corroborated the story. However no-one who'd seen the hooded figure had seen their face, or at least they weren't telling Harry and Ron if they had.

"I would say our theory was right." Harry said to Ron, as they examined the crime scene. "It sounds like someone who was unhappy with things barged into Narcissa, knocking her to the ground. We're never going to find out who did it unless Narcissa herself got a look at them."

"Let's hope she didn't." Ron muttered quietly so no-one but Harry could hear him. "I don't fancy arresting someone for standing up to the Malfoy's."

Harry nodded in agreement as the pair finished up in Diagon Alley. Leaving the M.L.E officers to get official statements from the witnesses, Harry and Ron headed to St Mungo's to get a statement from Narcissa. When they arrived at the hospital they were directed to a private room, where they found an anxious looking Lucius sitting at his wife's bedside.

"Do you know what happened, yet?" Lucius demanded.

"It would appear your wife was shoved in Diagon Alley." Harry replied. "The few witnesses we could find all say she banged her head when she fell over."

"And can these witnesses describe Narcissa's attacker?" Lucius asked.

"I'm afraid not." Harry said. "We need a description from Narcissa before we can go any further."

"I'm afraid that will not be possible." A healer said as she entered the room, having heard the beginning of the conversation when she'd opened the door a few seconds earlier.

"Why not?" Ron demanded.

"Mrs Malfoy has suffered a severe blow to the head and she's still unconscious. We have no idea when she will wake up." The healer answered.

"Or if she'll even wake up." Lucius muttered sadly, turning his attention back to his wife who was lying in the hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around her head.

"We have to think positive." The healer told Lucius, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Lucius nodded once before turning his cold, grey eyes back to Harry and Ron. "It looks like you'll have to continue on without Narcissa's statement for the immediate future."

"Without her statement there's not a lot to continue on with." Ron snorted. "We know why she was attacked, we just don't know who did it."

"How can you possibly know why she was attacked without knowing who attacked her?" Lucius asked with a confused frown.

"We can't know for sure, but our best guess is she was attacked in retaliation for your release." Harry answered. "People aren't happy you're out, and it appears as though your wife has paid the price."

Lucius turned back to Narcissa, guilt flooding through his body. He had enough guilt regarding what he'd put his family through during the war, without adding Narcissa's attack to his conscience. He hated to think how Draco would react when he arrived and discovered his mother's attack was all Lucius's fault. It could very well destroy the remainder of their fragile relationship.


	2. Chapter 2

Standing under the hot spray of the shower, Draco Malfoy was thinking about the fact he would have to make a visit home soon. His father had been out of Azkaban for a week, and while he respected Lucius's request to have a bit of time to get settled back at the Manor, Draco knew they would have to see each other sooner rather than later. There was also the matter of Draco's wife to deal with, and even though Lucius promised to give her a chance Draco wanted to be sure his father wasn't going to cause trouble. As much as he loved his father, if he was going to be difficult then Draco would be forced to limit his contact with him, which was something Draco didn't want to do.

Brushing aside thoughts of his father, Draco finished his shower. When he emerged into the adjoining bedroom he found his wife bent over, rummaging through her underwear drawer. Since Draco and his wife slept naked, she had nothing covering her modesty and Draco had a very succulent view of his wife's backside. Sneaking up behind her, he was just about to give her bum a squeeze when she stood up and whirled round to face him.

"What are you doing?" She questioned suspiciously.

"You looked rather appealing bent over like that, I thought we could delay getting up for a bit longer." Draco replied.

"We've already delayed getting up twice already. Besides, you've had a shower."

"At least you know I'm nice and clean." Draco grinned.

Draco got a quiet laugh in response, before his wife headed off into the bathroom, leaving him to get dressed. As he dressed, Draco couldn't help but let his thoughts drift back to his father and how he was going to react when he met his wife, Hermione Granger. As a muggleborn witch, who played a major part in Voldemort's downfall, Draco knew she wouldn't be first choice as a wife in his father's eyes. However things had changed since the war and when he had spoken to his father about Hermione, Lucius had promised to accept her and to try and make an effort to get to know her. Hopefully the fact she made Draco so happy would banish any remaining doubts his father had over the union.

"So, what are we doing today?" Hermione asked as she came out of the bedroom, wrapped in a towel.

Since it was a Saturday neither Draco nor Hermione were working. Draco ran the family business, which he'd started doing a year after the end of the war, when he'd moved the headquarters to France after finishing up his mandatory re-take of seventh year at Hogwarts. Hermione meanwhile worked at the French Ministry, in the Department of International Co-operation. Hermione had worked at the French Ministry for nearly seven years, after Kingsley had arranged for her to transfer to Paris.

Despite both moving to France within months of one another, Draco and Hermione didn't meet again for nearly three years after their arrival in the French capital. They met when Draco's company was doing a deal with the French Ministry and he was invited to a Ministry charity evening. The last person he'd expected to find at the event was Hermione, and pure curiosity had drawn him to the brunette witch he'd gone to school with. Hermione hadn't immediately shared why she was in France, in fact it had taken him several months to get the full story out of her. Instead they'd made peace with one another and talked about life in general. They'd ended up getting along so well, that Draco had asked Hermione out for dinner before the end of the night. Dinner had then turned into several more dates, and their romance had progressed nicely from there. The pair had married just over a year ago in a private ceremony attended by their family and close friends.

"We can do whatever you want." Draco said to his wife, returning to the conversation in hand.

"There's a new exhibit opened at the art museum." Hermione supplied as she searched the wardrobe for something to wear. "We could take a look at that and maybe grab some lunch. Then this afternoon we can either head into muggle Paris or we can come home and entertain ourselves here."

"I vote for returning home." Draco said. "At home, I can get you naked. That's harder to do in muggle Paris."

"I think you mean impossible." Hermione laughed. "If we stay out, you will not be getting me naked."

"We both know I could if I really wanted to." Draco smirked. "I can still remember that time in the park when we were dating."

Hermione blushed as she remembered the incident Draco was talking about. They'd been together about a year when Draco took her on a picnic to a beautiful Parisian park on a Sunday afternoon. It quickly became clear that Draco was hoping for some alfresco action, and after a bit of persuading on his part, Hermione gave in. Despite being in a muggle park, Hermione let Draco cast a concealing and silencing charm on the blanket, where they proceeded to have a bit of fun. The memory of being naked in the park in the middle of the afternoon, even though no-one could see, still caused Hermione to blush. She was also certain that Draco was persuasive enough to convince her to indulge in that particular bit of fun again.

"Come on, let's go." Hermione said once she was finished dressing. "And there will be no public nakedness."

"Spoil sport." Draco pouted as the couple gathered their things and left the beautiful three story house they owned in the suburbs of Paris.

The main part of Wizarding Paris was a ten minute walk from where Draco and Hermione lived and the pair strolled along hand in hand as they enjoyed the sunshine. When they arrived in the centre of Wizarding Paris, they decided to have a stroll around the shops and to visit the art museum after lunch. In the end the couple spent all day in Wizarding Paris, and it was early evening before they arrived home.

"Do you fancy going out to dinner?" Hermione asked her husband as she kicked off her shoes in the hallway. "I don't feel like cooking tonight."

"That's fine. I'll floo Javier's and book us a table." Draco replied. Javier's was the couple's favourite restaurant in Paris and they were regular visitors to the exclusive restaurant.

When Draco entered the study to make the floo call, he spotted the light on the side of the fireplace was lit up, indicating someone had tried to either come through and found the floo locked or they'd tried to make a call and received no answer. A quick spell revealed that they'd been several calls and a couple of attempts at someone coming through the floo network over the course of the afternoon. A more complex spell revealed that all the calls had come from St Mungo's in London. Luckily Draco and Hermione had one of the more advanced floo networks and there was a built in messenger service, for people to leave a message in case they received no answer. Hoping someone had left a message, Draco activated the messenger service and his father's head appeared in the flames.

"Draco, this is your father." Lucius began, looking very uncomfortable with having to leave a message instead of talking directly to his son. "There's been an accident. Your mother is in St Mungo's. I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Hermione!" Draco called the second the message ended.

"Did you book the table?" Hermione asked, poking her head around the study door.

"No, there was a message from father waiting for us." Draco answered. "Mother's had an accident."

"Is she okay?" Hermione asked, worry evident in her voice. After a nervous beginning Hermione had developed a solid bond with Narcissa and the two witches were now extremely close.

"He didn't say." Draco replied. "To be honest, I think it was probably the first time he'd left a message on the floo. Between that and what's happened to mother, he didn't say much."

"Is she in St Mungo's?" Hermione asked as she summoned her bag and shoes.

Draco nodded and once Hermione had slipped her shoes back on the couple activated the floo network and opened the international connection. With Draco in the lead they then flooed directly to the reception area in St Mungo's.

The hospital didn't look any different to the last time Hermione had been there, but she didn't have time to dwell on her surroundings as she joined Draco in the short queue at reception. Her husband was visibly nervous and she could see at a glance how worried he was about Narcissa. Draco had always been close to his mother, but since the war they'd gotten even closer and Hermione knew it would destroy him if anything ever happened to her.

Their wait to be dealt with was a short one and the witch at reception directed them to Narcissa's private room without question. When the couple arrived on the appropriate floor they spoke to a medi-witch who pointed them in the right direction, although she couldn't tell them anything about Narcissa's condition as she wasn't her patient. She did however promise to find the healer treating Narcissa and let them know Draco and Hermione had arrived.

When they entered the private room they found Narcissa lying unconscious on the bed, while Lucius sat beside her bed, holding onto her hand. Draco wasn't sure if it was the years in Azkaban or the stress of what was happening with Narcissa, but for the first time he thought Lucius was looking old. He certainly looked weary and he barely lifted his head when they entered the room.

"What happened?" Draco asked, rushing over to his mother's bedside.

"She was attacked in Diagon Alley." Lucius replied quietly. "When she fell she hit her head and she's been unconscious ever since."

"Will she wake up?" Draco looked over at his father, his grey eyes swimming with panic.

"The healer's hopeful, but she thinks it might be a day or two before that happens." Lucius told his son. "Narcissa suffered a massive blow to the head and the healer reckons she'll stay asleep until the trauma subsides."

"Have they caught who attacked her?" Draco asked, turning his attention back to his mother.

"No, and I'm not holding out much hope of them finding out either." Lucius snorted. "The two Aurors in charge of the case have already decided that Narcissa was attacked because of my release. They've pretty much said that unless Narcissa can identify her attacker they'll not be caught."

"Do they have proof Narcissa was attacked because of your release?" Hermione questioned, coming up behind her husband on the opposite side of the bed to Lucius.

"Of course not, that's just their opinion." Lucius replied with a sneer. "They're not bothered about finding out what happened to Narcissa. That much was very clear."

"I'm not having that." Hermione stormed. "The Aurors, or at least someone in the Law Enforcement department, has an obligation to investigate this properly. We deserve to know what happened to Narcissa, and see justice done."

"Tell that to your friends." Lucius sneered. "They're the two investigating the case."

"Harry and Ron are investigating." Hermione repeated quietly. "Shit."

"What's so wrong about that?" Lucius questioned. "Well, apart from the fact they hate our family."

"That's exactly the problem." Hermione replied. "Because of who Narcissa is, they won't be interested in helping her and finding out what really happened. If they're willing to throw their own friend to the wolves, then they won't care about Narcissa."

"What are you talking about?" Lucius frowned at his daughter-in-law. "Who did they throw to the wolves?"

"Me." Hermione said quietly. "But that's not important right now. What's important is Narcissa and getting her attack investigated properly. First thing tomorrow I'm going to the Ministry and I'm going to see Kingsley. I'm going to make sure this is taken seriously and we get some answers. I'm not going to be fobbed off with excuses."

Lucius looked at Hermione with admiration. She certainly had the Malfoy spirit, and he admired the way she'd jumped to Narcissa's defence. His daughter-in-law looked to be a fearsome opponent and he was hoping that her talk with the Minister would wield some results. Maybe with Hermione on their side someone would take the attack on Narcissa seriously and they might just get the answers they desired.

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><p><strong>AN – Thanks to everyone for their faves/follows/ reviews. It always makes my day when a new story gets off to a good start. I'm sure people are wondering about Hermione's backstory (especially with some of her cryptic remarks in this chapter). I actually have a whole flashback chapter to explain what happened between Hermione and her friends, but you'll have to wait a few chapter before that happens. **


	3. Chapter 3

As it turned out Hermione was unable to go and see Kingsley the following day. It wasn't until after she'd made the decision that she realised it would be Sunday, and the chances of finding Kingsley at the Ministry would be slim. Since she didn't know where exactly the Minister lived, and knew she wouldn't get that information from the Ministry, Hermione decided to wait until Monday morning instead.

While the decision to go and see Kingsley had been delayed by a day, Hermione used the time to try and get things sorted. On the Saturday night Draco had practically dragged Lucius back to the Manor in order for him to get some rest. Lucius hadn't wanted to leave Narcissa and in the end he only left the hospital when Narcissa's healer set up an alert system with his, Draco and Hermione's wands. The idea was to send an alert to the trio if the slightest thing should happen with Narcissa and they didn't happen to be at her bedside.

Hermione and Draco also spent the night at the Manor, although Draco quickly led Hermione to his wing of the house so she had no time to get a good look around the place. Everyone was up early on the Sunday morning and after a quick breakfast, Lucius and Draco headed back to St Mungo's. Hermione meanwhile flooed back home for the morning.

The first thing Hermione did was get changed in fresh clothes before packing a couple of bags for her and Draco. She had no idea how long they would be in England, but it was easier if they had a supply of things at the Manor. With the bags packed, Hermione settled them in Draco's study before she headed off to pay her boss a visit. Luckily Hermione got on well with her boss and he had no objections to her calling around to his house unexpectedly on a Sunday morning. When Hermione told her boss what was going on, he reassured her that she could have as much time off as was necessary. Thanking her boss, and promising to keep him updated, Hermione headed back home where she then flooed back to Malfoy Manor.

After depositing the bags in Draco's old bedroom, Hermione set off to explore the Manor. Her exploration of the Manor was slightly hesitant give her experiences in the house during the war, but Hermione couldn't find any room which looked like the one in which she'd been tortured in. In fact the entire Manor looked nothing like she remembered it, and if it wasn't for the fact she knew for definite that she'd been at the Manor before she would have sworn this was her first visit.

Eventually Hermione's travels led her into a kitchen. Hermione was rather surprised that the kitchen was a fairly normal one. She'd expected something massive given the fact that for years the Malfoy's had dozens of house elves at their disposal. Nowadays the Malfoy's elves were down to three, and they were all free elves and treated with the utmost respect. Hermione had even been surprised that morning at breakfast when Lucius thanked the elf that gave him his breakfast.

"Can Missy help Mistress Hermione?" An elf squeaked as it suddenly appeared behind Hermione.

"It's okay Missy." Hermione smiled at the elf. Even though the three elves had returned to Britain with Narcissa, she still knew them all from the time her mother-in-law lived in France. "Is this the only kitchen in the Manor?"

"We have a large one downstairs." Missy answered. "Mistress Narcissa says we are to use this one though. The large kitchen is too much work for three elves."

"Would it be okay if I used the kitchen?" Hermione asked.

"Mistress Hermione can do as she wants, she's a Malfoy." Missy replied.

"I just don't want to offend any of the elves, but I love to cook and I would like to make some lunch for Draco and Lucius." Hermione explained.

"Can Missy help?" Missy asked, giving Hermione a toothy grin.

"Of course." Hermione smiled back at the elf as she set about seeing what she needed to make Sunday lunch.

As it turned out the kitchen held everything Hermione needed to make a roast dinner. When lunch was nearly ready she sent Missy off to St Mungo's to get Draco and Lucius. She gave the elf firm instructions that she wasn't to take no as an answer from the two wizards. Despite everything that was going on, Draco and Lucius still needed to eat and look after themselves and Hermione intended to see that they both did.

Ten minutes later Draco and Lucius entered the dining room as Hermione placed the last of the dishes on the table. Lucius shot Hermione a glare as he slunk into his seat, while Draco gave his wife a hug and a quick kiss.

"How's things with Narcissa?" Hermione asked.

"She's still unconscious, but the healer reckons the swelling to her head's going down." Draco replied.

"That's good." Hermione smiled at Draco, before turning to her father-in-law. "I'm sure you would much rather be at the hospital, but you have to eat. Narcissa wouldn't want either of you neglecting yourselves."

Lucius gave a sharp nod in response, before he began putting some food on his plate. Hermione took the fact Lucius was actually here and eating as a sign that she was doing the right thing in trying to look after him. She knew that if Lucius really didn't want to be at home then he wouldn't have left the hospital.

Lunch was ate in relative silence, and although neither Draco nor Lucius ate too much they both thanked Hermione for the meal and complimented her on how nice it was. Once he'd finished eating, Draco announced he had to head to France for a few hours. While Hermione had already sorted out her work, Draco had the business to consider and he needed to make sure it would run smoothly in his absence.

While Draco headed off to sort out the business, Hermione accompanied Lucius back to the hospital. The pair made their way through the hospital in silence and it wasn't until they entered Narcissa's room and Lucius set eyes on his wife that the tension in his body relaxed. Hermione watched as he sat down by her side and took hold of her hand, all the time talking quietly to her and letting her know he was back. Looking at Lucius now, Hermione couldn't see any trace of the formidable Death Eater she'd once known, all she saw was a devoted husband worried about his wife.

"Do you want me to leave and give you some time alone with Narcissa?" Hermione asked.

Lucius looked as though he was considering his answer before he shook his head. "No. Sit down and we can talk. It's about time I got to know my daughter-in-law."

Hermione pulled up a chair on the other side of Narcissa's bed, and waited for Lucius to speak again. However instead of speaking, Lucius just studied Hermione closely. He'd never really looked at Hermione before, but now he was looking at her he could see why Draco was drawn to her. Not only was she very pretty, but she had an extremely friendly and helpful disposition. She'd already proved that these last few hours with the way she'd supported the family, despite everything Lucius had done in the past.

"I guess I should start by apologising." Lucius said eventually.

"There's no need." Hermione interrupted. "I don't want to rake over the past. I suggest we start fresh and leave the past behind us."

"Is that really possible?" Lucius asked.

"I don't see why not." Hermione shrugged. "Unless of course you're going to cause problems because I'm a muggleborn."

"I won't be causing any problems." Lucius replied. "I admit I was shocked when Draco informed me that the pair of you were together. I'm not going to lie and say I'm totally fine with it, but I accept it. You make my son happy and you obviously love him, and that is all I could ask for."

"If that's how you feel then I see no reason to dredge up the past." Hermione insisted. "Sometimes it better to move on and forget the past."

Lucius looked at Hermione appraisingly. While her sentiment about forgetting the past could very easily have been referring to them, he got the distinct impression there was another part of her past that she wanted to forget. Looking back clearly wasn't something Hermione was fond of.

"So, if we're making a fresh start, why don't you start by telling me how you and Draco met." Lucius suggested. "I'm quite interested to hear how your lives intersected."

"Draco and I met at a charity function held by the French Ministry. I work as a translator in the Department of International Co-operation, and Draco was doing a deal to supply the Ministry with various potions. He was invited to the function, and when he saw I was there and worked for the French Ministry his curiosity became too much for him."

"He approached you because he's nosey." Lucius concluded with a low chuckle.

"Pretty much." Hermione replied. "He wanted to know why I was in France, but I wouldn't tell him. Instead we got talking about other things and found we had a lot in common. By the end of the night Draco had asked me out. Partly because he'd enjoyed himself talking with me, but partly because my presence in France was still a mystery to him."

"And how long did it take him to discover the reason you were in France?"

"A few months." Hermione answered. "Before I disclosed private details, I wanted to know he was serious about spending time with me. Once I was sure he genuinely liked me, I told him everything he wanted to know."

"And how were you so sure he genuinely liked you?" Lucius asked.

"After a few dates in the wizarding world, I took him into the muggle world." Hermione said, chuckling at the surprised look on Lucius's face. "Draco was clearly unnerved to be in the muggle world, but he behaved impeccably. He was polite to every muggle we came into contact with, and he made a real effort to immerse himself in a world he'd never considered stepping foot into before. His actions showed me that he wasn't the boy I used to know, and that he was serious about spending time with me."

"Do you spend a lot of time in the muggle world?" Lucius asked. "Although, I expect you do given your parents are muggle." He continued, answering his own question. "Speaking of which, what do your parents think of Draco? I don't think I've ever heard him or Narcissa mention them."

"My parents have never met Draco." Hermione answered quietly. For a second Lucius thought the young witch was going to shed a tear, but she shook her head sharply and when she spoke again it was in her normal voice, the hint of sadness no longer there. "And as for spending time in the muggle world, we do occasionally. However our lives are in the magical world and that's where we spend the vast majority of our time. I just like to keep in touch with my roots by visiting the muggle world now and again."

"I'm sorry about your parents." Lucius offered, giving Hermione a genuine smile. "I didn't meant to bring up bad memories. I had no idea they were dead."

"They're not." Hermione answered. "They just don't know who I am."

"Excuse me?" Lucius frowned in confusion. How on earth could Hermione's parents not know who she was, he could remember seeing them years ago in Diagon Alley with Arthur Weasley.

"That is a very long story." Hermione sighed.

"I'm not going anywhere." Lucius said. "Sometimes ignoring the past isn't the wisest thing. Sometimes we need to confront our past to get closure."

Hermione looked at Lucius thoughtfully, and for a while he thought she was going to change the subject. Eventually she nodded, and began to talk.

"It all started after sixth year. As you know I spent what should have been my seventh year helping Harry track down Voldemort's Horcrux's. The war was getting more dangerous with every passing day, and I was worried for my parent's safety. I agonised over it for weeks, but in the end I decided it was safer for them if they didn't know what was going on. Before I left to meet up with Harry and Ron, I obliviated their memories and planted the seed that they wanted to go and live in Australia."

"I'm so sorry." Lucius whispered. He knew wizards like him were the reason a seventeen year old girl felt the need to protect her innocent parents by taking such drastic measures, and he felt a massive amount of guilt.

"So am I." Hermione said.

"Was the memory charm irreversible?" He asked, sensing there was more to the story that Hermione was saying.

"I have no idea." Hermione admitted. "I haven't seen them since I obliviated them."

"Why not? You clearly love your parents a lot, so why haven't you tracked them down?"

"I'm not allowed." Hermione answered quietly. "The Wizengamot ruled that as muggles it wasn't safe to attempt to reverse the spell. Since I can't get their memories back, I haven't visited them. A friend keeps an eye on them, and through him I know they're safe and happy in Australia. They just have no idea they have a daughter."

"What on earth does the Wizengamot have to do with anything?" Lucius questioned. "How did they even become involved in things?"

"They became involved when I was reported to the Ministry and was forced to go on trial." Hermione answered. "I came within an inch of having my wand snapped in two, and I discovered just who my true friends really were."

"Someone reported you for protecting your parents?" Lucius asked in disbelief.

Hermione nodded, the pain of what she'd gone through coming back as she talked about the worst period in her life. Apart from Draco and Narcissa she'd never told another soul about her trial and what had happened to her. Her friends and co-workers had no idea what had happened, but Lucius was her family and despite not knowing him very well she felt comfortable with telling him about what she'd gone through and the reason she left Britain to begin a new life in France.

* * *

><p><strong>AN – Turns out the flashback chapter is sooner than I remembered. So next chapter will be the flashback that deals with what happened with Hermione and her friends. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Seven and a half years ago.**

In the immediate aftermath of the war things were far too hectic for Hermione to even contemplate heading to Australia to try and find her parents. Instead her thoughts were firmly on those who'd lost their lives during the war, especially those she'd been close to like Fred, Lupin and Tonks. As well as grieving for loved ones there was also Hogwarts to fix and Hermione spent most of the few months following the final battle up at the school helping to rebuild the castle and repair the damage it had suffered.

Once Hogwarts was finished and McGonagall announced it would be opening for another year, Hermione had to decide whether or not to return to school. The Ministry had offered everyone in Hermione's year their exams results based on previous years' work and predicted results, or they had agreed to anyone returning who wished to do so. After a year out of school Hermione decided returning to Hogwarts would be too stifling, so she took the results the Ministry awarded her. She also knew that if she wanted genuine results she could apply to take her exams without having to re-sit her entire last year of school.

Harry and Ron also took the exams results given to them by the Ministry, and they immediately began Auror training. Not wanting to spend the rest of her life chasing down dark wizards and being involved in crime, Hermione talked to Kingsley about joining the Department for International Co-operation. She already spoke fluent French, and with her aptitude for picking up new skills she was confident she would be able to learn more languages, including some of the more obscure wizarding languages. Kingsley was more than happy for Hermione to have whichever job she wanted, and when she mentioned having something personal to do first he promised her that the job would be waiting for her whenever she was ready.

With her future sorted, Hermione decided it was time to head to Australia and reunite with her parents. All she had to do was inform the Weasley's she was leaving for a short while. Since the war she'd been staying with the family, and while they all knew her parents were in Australia only Harry and Ron knew that they had no memories. With her plans decided Hermione broke the news of her departure over Sunday lunch at The Burrow.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Ron asked, pouting at the thought of losing Hermione. Their spur of the moment kiss during the final battle hadn't amounted to anything, but he still harboured hope some romance would develop between them.

"I guess that depends on how long it takes me to do what I need to do." Hermione replied.

"Is it really necessary for you to go all the way to Australia?" Molly questioned. "Why don't you just send your parents an owl letting them know it's safe for them to return?"

"That won't work." Hermione sighed. "They didn't just leave in order to be safe, I sent them. I didn't want the Death Eaters to track them down so I obliviated them and send them abroad with new identities."

"You did what?" Percy demanded coldly as Molly gasped in shock.

"I wanted to protect them." Hermione said.

"You had no right." Percy said. "They're muggles Hermione, and you used a potential dangerous spell on them. For all you know their minds have turned to mush and they're locked up in some muggle hospital somewhere. You can't go around doing magic on muggles, it's dangerous and reckless."

"Calm down, Percy." Ron told his brother. "Hermione was just doing what she thought was right."

"And you approve do you?" Percy demanded, glaring at his little brother. "You approve of her obliviating innocent muggles? Would you have done that to Mum and Dad?"

"Of course not." Ron answered without thinking. The second the words left his lips he saw Hermione flinch away from him and he realised his mistake. "Hermione, I didn't mean you did the wrong thing. I'm just saying it's not something I would have done."

"It's not something any normal person would have done." Molly tutted, looking at Hermione in disgust. "Why didn't you just come to us, we could have helped you. We could have protected your family, like we protected Harry's."

"My parents never would have gone into hiding." Hermione replied. "Not without me. This was the only way I could get them to safety without having to go with them and abandoning Harry."

"Don't you go around blaming Harry." Percy snarled. "He's not responsible for your heinous actions. You made the decision, and now you have to live with the consequences."

"What do you mean by that?" George asked as Percy pushed back his chair and stood up.

"You'll see." Percy replied mysteriously as he stalked out of the kitchen and moments later the sound of the floo network revealed he'd left the house.

The question of where Percy had disappeared to, and what he was planning, was answered half an hour later when he returned to The Burrow with two M.L.E officers. Hermione was still trying to convince Molly that she'd done what she thought was best when Percy led the two officers into the room and pointed out Hermione.

"Hermione Granger, you're under arrest for the use of dangerous magic on muggles." One of the officers said. "You'll have to come with us to the Ministry."

"You can't do this." Hermione protested as the officer hauled her to her feet, while the second one summoned her wand into his hands.

"Isn't anyone going to help?" George demanded as he watched a helpless Hermione being led away by the two officers. The whole family were just sitting watching with open mouths and even Harry and Ron weren't protesting their best friend's arrest.

"There's nothing we can do, George." Molly said. "This is Hermione's mess and she has to deal with it."

"Don't worry Hermione, I'll get help." George called to the brunette witch as the two officers spirited her away.

George's promise rang in Hermione's head as she was spirited away to the Ministry and marched towards the Magical Law Enforcement department. Since it was a Sunday there was barely anyone around so no-one saw Hermione being hauled in for questioning. Not that Hermione was bothered by people seeing her, she was still reeling that she'd even been arrested in the first place. Not to mention the fact her two best friends had just sat back and let it happen. It was bad enough that neither of them defended her when Ron's family was having a go at her but she was devastated that neither of them lifted a finger to help when she was then arrested.

Placed in one of the interrogation rooms, Hermione then endured an hour of the two M.L.E officers accusing her of all sorts. Their line of questions was more making accusations than actually listening to what Hermione was trying to tell them. They were insistent that she obliviated her parents so they were no longer a burden to her. Without her parents around she was free to help Harry and in the process become a hero in the wizarding world.

"I was protecting them." Hermione cried. "I didn't want them to come under attack from the Death Eaters."

"If that's what you wanted there was other ways of achieving it." One of the officers sneered at Hermione. "You used dangerous magic on muggles, and there is no defence of that. You're a danger to the wizarding world and you have to be stopped."

Before Hermione had a chance to find out what he meant be stopping her, she was dragged to her feet and hauled down to the Department of Mysteries. There she was locked in a secure cell, and left to ponder what had happened to her. That morning she'd woken up felling positive about finally being able to see her parents again, but now she was under arrest at the Ministry and she dreaded to think what would happen to her next.

Hermione was in the cell for what felt like hours before the door opened and Kingsley entered. After checking she was alright, Kingsley explained that George had spent the entire afternoon tracking him down. Even though the war was over there was still a lot of work to be done and Kingsley was always out and about ensuring that the wizarding community was getting itself back on track.

"Can you get me out of here?" Hermione asked the Minister, once they'd discussed the reason she was in the cell in the first place.

"I wish I could." Kingsley sighed. "Unfortunately the M.L.E officers have already charged you and booked you in for a hearing in the courtroom tomorrow. Even as Minister for Magic, I can't overturn a criminal charge. All I can do is ensure your arrest remains private, and I promise I will be there to support you with your trial. I won't let them snap your wand, Hermione."

"Is that what could happen to me?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Kingsley nodded. "But it won't happen. I know you were protecting your parents, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're not convicted."

"Thank you." Hermione smiled weakly at Kingsley. "And will you thank George for me. He was the only person to stand up for me, even Harry and Ron stood back and watched as I was arrested."

"I'm sure they were just in shock." Kingsley said supportively. "I'll be heading to see them to make them sign a confidentially agreement about your arrest, I'll talk to them and I'm sure they'll be there to support you in court tomorrow."

Kingsley was right about Harry and Ron being in court the following day, but they looked anything but supportive. The pair were sitting with Ron's family and when Hermione entered the room and tried to catch their eyes they looked away. The only member of the Weasley family that would look at her was George, and he offered her a supportive smile and a thumbs up as she took her seat in front of a small selection of the Wizengamot.

"Hermione Granger, you are charged with the offence of using dangerous magic against muggles." Amelia Bones declared. Since he was firmly on Hermione's side, Kingsley had let Amelia take charge of the hearing in her capacity as head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." Hermione answered. Kingsley had visited her that morning with a change of clothes and he'd advised her to plead not guilty. A guilty plea would result in her being punished without any chance to defend herself.

"You case will be assigned a date in due course." Amelia told Hermione. "Until then you will either remain in custody, or be placed on house arrest. Do you currently have somewhere to live?"

"I've been staying with friends at The Burrow." Hermione replied. Kingsley had admitted he had no idea if Molly would agree to let her return to the Burrow, but he'd assured her that if the Weasley's would help her that he'd arrange for her to stay somewhere else.

"Mrs Weasley, that's your address is it not?" Amelia turned to Molly, who confirmed her family did indeed reside at the Burrow. "Are you agreeable to have Miss Granger stay with you until her trial?"

"No, I'm not." Molly said firmly, addressing the other witch. She then turned to Hermione, and Hermione couldn't decide if Molly hated her or pitied her. "I'm sorry Hermione, we don't condone your actions. You're on your own."

Hermione was barely aware of Amelia announcing she would be remanded in custody unless a suitable place was found for her. All Hermione's attention was on the Weasley's and Harry, who'd turned and left the courtroom without a second glance. It would appear that apart from Kingsley and George, who'd remained behind, she was on her own.

After her hearing, Hermione was led back to her cell. Luckily she wasn't there very long before Kingsley arrived and told her that George had offered her the use of the flat above the shop. Once the security charms were in place he would escort her to George's flat and she would stay there until her trial.

There was nearly three months between her hearing and her trial, and in that time the only people Hermione saw were Kingsley and George. Kingsley helped Hermione prepare for her trial, and George agreed to testify as a character witness. Kingsley asked Harry and Ron to also testify, but they declined, claiming they were staying neutral. In the end Kingsley approached Professor McGonagall and Neville Longbottom, and luckily they both agreed to speak up for Hermione. They did of course have to sign the confidentially agreement as it still wasn't public knowledge that Hermione had been arrested.

"What happens if I'm found guilty?" Hermione asked Kingsley the morning her trial was due to start.

"A number of things, the most likely one being your is wand snapped and you're evicted from the magical world." Kingsley answered. "But that won't happen, Hermione. I promise I won't let you get punished for trying to protect your parents."

"If I am found guilty, you won't be able to keep it quiet any more, will you?" Hermione asked. "Everyone will know what happened."

"I'm afraid so." Kingsley said. "I can't keep a conviction quiet."

Kingsley's response just added weight to a theory she'd been working on regarding her friends. Harry and Ron had known about her parents since the beginning, and they'd never once mentioned they disapproved of her actions before. She was guessing they were remaining neutral until the verdict came in. If she was found guilty they wouldn't want it known that they'd supported her, it might taint their image as war heroes. However she wasn't quite sure what their response would be if she was found not guilty. No matter what the verdict she knew Molly would never approve of her actions, so there was a possibility that even if she was acquitted that Harry and Ron would keep their distance from her.

The following few weeks were the hardest of Hermione's life as her future was debated by the entire Wizengamot. The M.L.E officers testified against Hermione, as did Percy as the complainant, while George, McGonagall and Neville all spoke up for Hermione. Over the course of the trial it was also revealed that Hermione's parents had been tracked down in Australia, and they looked to be suffering from no side effects of being obliviated.

"At least that's something I suppose." One of the old wizards on the Wizengamot muttered when pictures were flashed around the courtroom of the Granger's living quite happily in Australia.

"I think we need to take the Granger's into consideration here." Amelia addressed the room. "Luckily they haven't suffered any damage from being obliviated, but I don't think it's wise to interfere with their memories again. Trying to reverse the process could push them over the edge. I propose that the Granger's are left alone and not touched by magic again. They seem to have a life in Australia, I propose we leave it at that."

Hermione watched in horror as the Wizengamot debated her parent's lives and made the decision that they were to be left alone. It was then made perfectly clear to Hermione that if she so much as attempted to retrieve their memories that she would be thrown into Azkaban for the rest of her life. The message was clear, she'd done enough damage and was lucky her parents weren't permanently affected by her actions.

After the decision about her parents had been made, Hermione then had to endure the debate about her future. Several of the Wizengamot seemed in favour of snapping her wand, but luckily Kingsley was there to help sway the undecided members. The Minster delivered an impassioned speech about Hermione. He spoke about all she'd done for the wizarding world and what a loss it would be if they were to lose a witch with her abilities. Kingsley's speech had the desired effect and after a nerve wracking vote it was decided that Hermione was to be cleared of all charges.

"Miss Granger, you're free to go." Amelia Bones said. "But I must warn you, another arrest in the future for anything like this will result in your wand being snapped and possibly a custodial sentence."

Hermione wasn't in the slightest bit bothered about the warning she received. It wasn't as if she was going to be casting spells on any more muggles. She'd done what she thought was right and had protected her parents, and at the end of the day her parents were safe and that was all that mattered to her. Of course she was heartbroken that they would never get their memories back and know who she was, but at least she knew they were happy and healthy.

After the trial was over and she was acquitted, Hermione came face to face with Harry and Ron for the first time since her arrest. Her two supposed best friends were waiting for her in Kingsley's office with George, when Kingsley and Hermione arrived from signing all the papers and reclaiming Hermione's wand.

"Congratulations." Harry said, smiling at Hermione as she entered the room.

"We knew you could do it, Hermione." Ron grinned, moving to hug his friend.

Hermione quickly sidestepped Ron's embrace and her cold glare stopped him from trying to hug her again.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"You can't be serious." Hermione scoffed, amazed that her friends could be so clueless as to why she was giving them the cold shoulder. "I don't receive an ounce of support from either of you throughout this whole thing, then the second I'm cleared you're back. Where the hell have you been when I needed you the most? These last few months have been absolute torture, and my two best friends were nowhere to be seen. You abandoned me, and I'd like to bet that if I'd been found guilty you wouldn't be talking to me."

"We just didn't want to pick a side." Harry said quietly. "We always supported you, but it was difficult with Ron's family being so appalled at your actions."

"I managed to support Hermione." George said, looking at the duo in disgust. "It wasn't about picking sides, it was about supporting your best friend in her hour of need."

"Thank you for being there for me George." Hermione said to the redhead as she turned her back on her friends. "I don't know what I would have done without you and Kingsley."

"Don't forget McGonagall and Neville. They were willing to testify for you." George added pointedly, clearly aiming a dig at Harry and Ron.

"They were, and I'll thank them before I leave." Hermione said.

"Leave?" Ron questioned in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"Away from here." Hermione replied. "I want a fresh start, away from the people that have betrayed me."

In the lead up to her trial, Hermione and Kingsley had spoken about the future and Kingsley had urged her to make plans for when she was cleared of all charges. She'd decided that if she was cleared that she wanted a fresh start and Kingsley had agreed to arrange for her to work at the French Ministry. As much as Kingsley would have loved to have Hermione working at the British Ministry, he fully understood why she wanted a fresh start. The trauma of being on trial was bad enough, but the experience had been so much worse when the two people she considered her closest allies had deserted her.

A week after being cleared of all charges, Hermione left to begin her new life in France. She had a job waiting for her in the Department of International Co-operation, and she had a fresh start in front of her. She fully intended to live her life to the full and forget all about Harry and Ron and the way they had deserted her when she needed them the most.


	5. Chapter 5

As Hermione walked through the corridors of the Ministry, she couldn't help but dwell on the last time she was in the building. She wasn't sure if it was discussing the past the previous day with Lucius that made the memories so vivid, or if it was just because she hadn't stepped foot inside the Ministry since the day her trial ended. Either way the memories were starting to overwhelm her and all she wanted to do was speak to Kingsley and leave as quickly as possible.

Arriving at the Minister's outer office she spoke to Kingsley's assistant. Despite not having an appointment, Hermione was adamant she wanted to speak to the Minister and her determination made Kingsley's assistant relent and agree to speak to the Minister. After briefly speaking to Kingsley, his assistant returned and ushered Hermione into the Minister's office.

"Hermione, it's good to see you." Kingsley smiled at Hermione and gave her a hug as his assistant closed the door as she left the room. After Hermione's trial the pair had kept in regular contact and Kingsley was fully aware of what was going on in Hermione's life. "I was away over the weekend and I've only just heard about Narcissa. How is she?"

"She's still unconscious, but the swelling is going down rapidly." Hermione answered. "The Healer is hoping she'll wake up today or tomorrow."

"That's good." Kingsley smiled. "I was going to check on the investigation before visiting the hospital myself this afternoon."

"That's actually what I came to speak to you about." Hermione said, sliding into the seat in front of Kingsley's desk. "I'm not happy with the investigation."

"What's wrong with the investigation?" Kingsley asked.

"I don't think Harry and Ron are taking Narcissa's attack seriously." Hermione answered. "They've already written it off as a revenge attack for Lucius being released from Azkaban without any proof. They've also made it perfectly clear that unless Narcissa can identify her attacker then they won't be finding them."

Kingsley shook his head, unimpressed that Harry and Ron had been handed the case. While the pair were good Aurors they were judgemental about certain people, and there was no way Kingsley would have handed them the task of investigating an attack on a Malfoy. Kingsley had made them deal with Lucius's release in the hope it would help them accept that some people could be reformed and returned to society, obviously the message hadn't quite sunk in.

"Before we go any further, I just need to be sure this isn't personal." Kingsley said. He didn't think Hermione would complain just because of her past with Harry and Ron, but he had to be sure.

"I'm not complaining because Harry and Ron are the Aurors." Hermione clarified. "I'm complaining because they've drawn their own conclusion without any proof. If Narcissa was attacked because of Lucius's release then fair enough, but we want proof that's what happened. Without proof, how do we know there wasn't another reason behind her attack?"

"I understand that you want a thorough investigation, and I assure you that's what I want as well." Kingsley said. "You have my word that a proper investigation will be launched, and we will find your family some answers."

"Thank you Kingsley." Hermione smiled at the Minister for Magic. "If we can be of any assistance let us know. Lucius mentioned that there wasn't many useful witnesses, we can offer a reward for people to come forward if that's any help."

"That really shouldn't be necessary." Kingsley said. "Our investigators should be able to take witness statements without having to resort to bribes. And to be perfectly honest the victim's family shouldn't have to pay to receive justice, they should receive it free of charge."

"That's a nice sentiment Kingsley, but we both know it's not that simple with my family." Hermione sighed. "The offer of financial incentives is there if it will help. We just want to know what happened to Narcissa and to see justice served."

"We'll deliver on both counts." Kingsley promised.

"We appreciate it." Hermione said. "Thank you for listening to me and for taking my concerns seriously."

"I would never ignore someone who wants my help."

"I know you wouldn't. You're a good man, Kingsley."

"Thank you." Kingsley replied, smiling at Hermione's compliment. "And you know that you can come to me at any time, don't you? I'm always here for you Hermione."

"I know, and I appreciate it." Hermione said, thinking about all the times Kingsley had been there for her. Not only had he helped her through her trial but he'd kept an eye on her parents and kept her updated on how they were doing.

"I promise I will get things moving here, so don't be surprised to receive another visit from Harry and Ron." Kingsley said as Hermione stood up to leave. "And this time, I promise they'll investigate without prejudice."

Hermione wanted to believe it was possible for Harry and Ron to treat the case like any other, but she decided to wait and reserve judgement. If she still wasn't satisfied she would speak to Kingsley again, but hopefully that wouldn't be an issue. Hopefully once the Minister had spoken to Harry and Ron, they would start looking at Narcissa's case with fresh eyes and they might just find out who had attacked her.

* * *

><p>Amelia Bones had been busily doing her work when she was called into the Minister's office mid Monday morning. The second she set eyes on Kingsley she could tell the normally jovial Minister wasn't happy about something.<p>

"Have you checked in on Narcissa Malfoy's case this morning?" Kingsley asked.

"No." Amelia replied, not sure where the conversation was heading. "The incident only occurred on Saturday afternoon, I'm guessing Harry and Ron are still busy investigating."

"I've just had Narcissa's daughter-in-law in here, complaining about how we're handling the case. Apparently Harry and Ron have decided what happened without bothering to find evidence." Kingsley said.

"They wouldn't do that." Amelia protested. "They're good Aurors, Kingsley."

"Yes they are. But you can't deny they harbour grudges, especially against people like the Malfoy's." Kingsley retorted. "I'm not even sure what you were thinking of handing them the case."

"You know what it's like in here on a weekend, we run a skeleton staff. They were the only two Aurors in the department when I entered. It was stupid looking around for someone else when they were there." Amelia said, defending her actions. "Besides, if they can't act professionally, that's not my fault. If they can't act like the professionals they're supposed to be then maybe we need to look and see if they should continue on as investigators."

"We can think about that at a later point." Kingsley said. "Right now, I suggest we find out just how the pair are coming on in their investigations. I have a quick meeting in five minutes, but I'll be free in an hour. I suggest we speak to them in your office."

Amelia nodded and left the Minister's office. Storming back to her own office, she settled herself behind her desk and began pulling up the records of the case. As Head of Department she had magical access to every case anyone in the department was working on at any time. Amelia's records mirrored the records the investigation were writing down and it was the perfect way of checking on a case without having to bother the investigators involved.

Half an hour later and Amelia could see exactly why Narcissa's daughter-in-law was complaining. The handful of witness statements they had were brief and unhelpful, which was actually very common for an initial statement. However all the statements had been collected by M.L.E officers and it didn't look as though Harry and Ron had made any attempt to talk to any of the witnesses a second time. Amelia knew from her own time as an investigator that in the direct aftermath of witnessing a crime memories were muddled and things weren't entirely clear. That's why second and third talks with witnesses were vital as it was usually those talks that threw up something useful. Despite Harry and Ron not yet re-interviewing the witnesses Amelia was prepared to cut them some slack, it could be exactly what they were planning on doing that day.

However it was hard to cut them some slack when it appeared they'd done nothing since visiting the hospital on Saturday afternoon. They'd made a note that Narcissa was unconscious, but there was no sign they were checking on her condition as they waited for her to wake up. There was also no sign that they'd revisited the crime scene since their initial visit. Lastly at the bottom of one of the reports was the conclusion that Narcissa had been attacked because of her husband's release from Azkaban. Luckily for Harry and Ron they hadn't closed the case yet, otherwise Amelia would have hauled them over the coals for sloppy investigating.

When Kingsley arrived in her office, Amelia showed him the files on the investigation before she called Harry and Ron in to see them. The second the two Aurors spotted Kingsley in the office alongside their Department Head, Harry and Ron looked distinctly uncomfortable. It was clear from the expressions on both Amelia's and Kingsley's faces that they weren't happy with something, and it would seem Harry and Ron were in the line of fire.

"We'd like an update on the Malfoy case." Amelia said, once Harry and Ron had taken seats in front of her desk.

"There's not much to tell." Harry shrugged. "None of the witnesses saw anything and Narcissa Malfoy is still unconscious."

"Have you re-interviewed the witnesses?" Kingsley asked. "Have you been back to the crime scene, just in case you missed something or more witnesses come forward?"

Harry and Ron shared a worried look, before Harry admitted that they hadn't. Harry had no sooner made the admission than Ron piped up that they were going to do both that day. However neither Kingsley nor Amelia believed them, it was clear they hadn't intended doing anything of the sort.

"Have you checked for similar crimes?" Amelia asked the two Aurors. "Maybe Narcissa isn't the only person to have been attacked."

"There's been no other attacks like these recently." Harry replied.

"Come on, it's obvious why she was attacked." Ron said. "The papers have been full of Lucius's release these last few weeks. Someone spotted her in Diagon Alley and gave her a shove. It was just unfortunate that she fell and banged her head."

"Do you have proof of that theory?" Kingsley questioned.

"No." Ron admitted quietly.

"We don't pay you to decide on a theory and not bother investigating." Kingsley snapped at the duo. "I had Narcissa's daughter-in-law in my office this morning. She was very upset and annoyed that the case wasn't being handled properly."

"What daughter-in-law?" Harry questioned. "We haven't spoken to any daughter-in-law. We spoke to Lucius."

"I know who you spoke to, but she was informing me what Lucius had told her." Kingsley replied. "According to Lucius, you've made your decision about what happened and you're not interested in finding out the truth. And I have to admit from what I've seen and heard I would say he's perfectly correct."

"You are to give this case your priority, and instead of working on theories, I want evidence of what happened." Amelia told the pair. "Forget who the victim is and treat this as if it were a member of your own family lying in hospital. The pair of you are good Aurors, now is the time to prove it."

"I suggest you begin by returning to the hospital." Kingsley said. "The healer is hopeful Narcissa will be waking up soon, you can get the details at St Mungo's. And make sure the family know we're taking this seriously. I don't want to have to listen to more complaints about the way you're handling the case."

"Yes Sir." Harry muttered as he and Ron stood up and left Amelia's office.

"Keep an eye on them, Amelia." Kingsley said once the duo had gone. "Narcissa's daughter-in-law is a good friend, and I don't want to have to admit to her that we can't find out who attacked Narcissa."

Amelia nodded as the Minister left her office. Cursing to herself she wished that she'd handed the case to anyone but Harry and Ron. She should have known better than to give them the case considering the bad feeling that existed between the pair of them and the Malfoy's. However, what was done was done and all she could do now was hope that the pair were able to prove that they were indeed two of her top Aurors.


	6. Chapter 6

After the talking to they had received from Kingsley and Amelia, Harry and Ron decided the best course of action was to return to St Mungo's as soon as possible. They didn't have any desire to see any of the Malfoy's family, especially this mystery daughter-in-law who'd had the audacity to complain about them, but they knew it had to be done as soon as possible. They weren't about to give the Malfoy's any more ammunition to use against them.

"This is a waste of time, you know that don't you." Ron grumbled as he and Harry made their way through the corridors of St Mungo's.

"I know, but we don't exactly have a choice in the matter do we?" Harry replied. "Not now Malfoy's snob of a wife has complained about us."

"I still can't believe that." Ron huffed. "Who does she think she is, going to Kingsley and complaining? Bloody Malfoy's, they think they own the world."

"The problem is they still have too much influence." Harry replied. "With their money they can buy almost anything and anyone. People are too afraid to stand up to them, that's the problem. Just look at Lucius, he should still be in Azkaban. Even with the information he provided about other Death Eaters, that wasn't enough to warrant his release. He bargained his way out of prison, and that's not right."

"What can we do about it?" Ron shrugged helplessly.

"Nothing." Harry sighed in defeat. "And that's the problem."

Their complaining was brought to a halt when they reached the floor Narcissa's private room was on. After speaking with a mediwitch, they discovered that Narcissa was still unconscious but her condition was improving. According to the witch all of Narcissa's family were also at the hospital.

"It looks like we're going to meet Malfoy's wife." Ron remarked as they made their way to Narcissa's room. "This should be fun."

When the pair reached the room they knocked on a door and voice called for them to enter. Upon entering they found no sign of Narcissa's daughter-in-law, instead the only person they found was Draco. Narcissa was still lying in the bed, but her son was sitting beside the bed flicking through the paper.

"It's you two." Draco looked up and put the paper down as he spotted the two Aurors in the doorway. "I presume you're here on the Minister's orders."

"We're here because we're dealing with your mother's case." Harry answered.

"And are you actually going to look into things properly this time, or will my wife have to complain yet again?" Draco taunted.

"And why was your wife the one to complain, Malfoy? Are you not man enough to fight your own battles?" Ron sneered at the blond.

"I would have happily complained, but my wife was quite insistent she should be the one to talk to Kingsley." Draco replied.

"That's Minister Shackelbolt to you." Harry snapped, not liking how informal the blond was being about Kingsley.

"Sorry, it's habit to call him Kingsley." Draco smirked. "That's what I always call him."

"You don't even know him." Ron shot at the blond wizard.

"He's a friend, well actually more a friend of my wife's, but we know each other quite well." Draco replied, chuckling to himself at the look of horror and disbelief the two Aurors shared at the revelation he knew the Minister for Magic personally. "Anyway, I don't suppose you came here to discuss how well I know the Minister."

"No, we didn't." Harry grumbled. He wasn't impressed that Kingsley had never mentioned knowing Malfoy's wife, especially since he considered the Minister a friend. "We came to check up on your mother. We heard she's expected to wake up soon."

"The healer is hopeful she'll be waking soon." Draco confirmed. "Her condition is improving hourly."

"But she hasn't woke yet?" Ron checked, even though the mediwitch had informed them of Narcissa's condition before they entered the room.

"No." Draco shook his head. "We'll inform the Ministry when she's awake and is up to seeing anyone."

"Make sure you do." Ron said, glaring at the blond as though he was going to ensure his mother didn't speak to them. "Your mother is our best chance of finding out what happened."

"You better have more information than what my mother can supply." Draco warned menacingly. "The chances of her remembering details of her attack aren't good. The healer is very doubtful that she'll be able to provide a description of her attacker immediately."

"We know how these things work." Harry snappishly told the blond. "We have dealt with other victims that have been unconscious for a while. Your mother might not be able to remember specifics straight away, but hopefully in time things will become clearer. Even just a rough idea of what happened to her could help us enormously."

Draco was actually surprised by how serious Harry and Ron seemed to be taking things. He wasn't sure if the talking to by Kingsley had bucked their ideas up, or if they were just annoyed enough by his presence to ensure they acted professionally. Either way as long as they found his mother's attacker he couldn't care less what motivated them.

"Remember to contact us when your mother wakes up." Harry said. "Until then, we've got witnesses to talk to. Maybe someone has remembered something they couldn't remember on Saturday afternoon."

"I'd like to be kept up to date with proceedings." Draco told the duo. "I want to be sure the case is being looked into properly this time."

Harry and Ron visibly blanched at the reminder of their bad start to the case, but before they could say anything the door to the room opened. Wondering if they were finally about to meet the elusive Mrs Malfoy, Harry and Ron turned towards the door. Unfortunately it was only Lucius who entered the room.

"What are you doing here?" Lucius demanded of the duo, glaring at them the second he set eyes on them.

"We're investigating your wife's case." Harry replied tersely.

"You said that on Saturday, but I've seen no progress." Lucius grumbled. "I guess getting complained about was just the kick up the backside the pair of you needed to get working."

"Your daughter-in-law's complaint has nothing to do with why we're here." Ron lied. "We're here as part of our investigation, we were always planning on heading back to check on things. Maybe a bit of patience was all you lot needed."

"Patience wasn't getting us anywhere." Lucius retorted. "Action was what was required, and luckily my new daughter-in-law took matters into her own hands. Not that I can blame her for being worried when she heard you two were on the case. Especially give her past experiences with the pair of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron demanded. "We've never even met your daughter-in-law."

At Ron's outburst, Lucius turned to Draco and raised an eyebrow at his son, who merely smirked wickedly back at him. During his talk with Hermione the previous day she'd mentioned that as well as keeping in touch with Kingsley she also kept in touch with George. Lucius had assumed that meant that the rest of the family knew about her marriage to Draco even though Hermione herself hadn't told them. Clearly that wasn't the case and her two former best friends were completely clueless as to who had actually complained about them. Retuning Draco's smirk, Lucius made his way over to Narcissa's bed. He would refrain for mentioning Hermione, as sooner or later Harry and Ron would run into her and he wouldn't want to miss their surprised faces when they discovered exactly who their former friend had married.

"As I said, we'll inform you when mother wakes up." Draco said, turning back to the two confused Aurors. "And since she's still asleep, I see no reason to keep you here. I'm sure you've got lots of work to do on the case."

With Ron still muttering about what Lucius had meant, he and Harry left the room and made their way towards the lifts. What neither of them saw as they entered the lift to return to the ground floor was the door to the stairs opening and Hermione emerging onto the corridor they'd just vacated. If only they'd stayed in Narcissa's room a bit longer they would have discovered the identity of the witch who had complained about them.

* * *

><p>Hermione had no idea how close she'd came to running into her former friends until she returned to Narcissa's room. She'd been up in the coffee shop with Lucius having a quick cup of coffee and a break, but she'd stopped off at the bathrooms on the way back to Narcissa's room. The short delay meant she'd just say missed running into Harry and Ron that day.<p>

"You've only just missed them." Draco told his wife, informing her of the visit they'd just received. "To be honest I'm surprised you didn't run into them out in the corridor."

"I might have come from the opposite direction." Hermione shrugged, not in the slightest bit bothered by the near miss.

"Are you not even curious to see them?" Lucius asked his daughter-in-law. It was obvious the previous day that their actions after the war had hurt her tremendously, but it was also clear that she rarely thought about that time in her life and Lucius was curious as to how she truly felt about the duo.

"Why would I be?" Hermione asked. "Our friendship is long gone."

"Would you never consider forgiving them and giving them a second chance?" Lucius asked.

"If you were in my shoes, would you?" Hermione retorted.

"No, but then again I'm not as forgiving as you." Lucius admitted. "You're able to give people second chances, even if they maybe don't deserve them. I'm sure Draco deserved the chance you gave him, but I'm not sure I deserve the one you're giving me now. I've done nothing to warrant getting a second chance from you, especially given my previous actions towards muggleborns."

"That's completely different." Hermione argued. "Apart from the odd insult he threw my way, Draco never hurt me, that's why I gave him a second chance. And I gave you a second chance because you're the father of the man I love. As for Harry and Ron, what they did, they did as my best friends. I can't forgive them because they let me down when they were supposed to care about me. I wasn't a stranger to them, or someone they just went to school with, I was supposed to be their best friend. I can't forget the fact they abandoned me when I needed them most."

"I can understand that." Lucius nodded.

"I'm sure we can find better things to talk about than Potter and Weasley." Draco interrupted, knowing that Hermione didn't like to talk about her past for too long. Not that he could blame her considering what she'd been through.

"You're right." Lucius said. "We can talk about the future, hopefully that should be cheerful. Well, it will be once we can leave England behind and join you two in France."

"You're going to leave the Manor?" Draco questioned in surprise. He'd always assumed his parents would be living at the Manor permanently and the chateau Narcissa had been using in France would just be for holidays.

"There's not really a lot of point in staying here without you two." Lucius said. "The Manor will always be home, but your mother and I would rather be near you. We've already decided that the second my bail conditions are over that we're going to relocate to France. Unless of course, you're planning on coming back to Britain any time soon."

"I don't think so." Draco said, shaking his head. "If anything, these past few days have proved why we wouldn't return. Not only is it potentially dangerous, but the Aurors aren't exactly putting themselves out to find out what happened. We feel safer in France."

"Maybe when Narcissa is up and about I can speak to Kingsley again. I could see if it was possible to change your residence to the chateau in France." Hermione suggested. "If the French Ministry agree, I can't see why it should be an issue. Your bail conditions will still be the same as they are here, only you're with your family."

"You would do that for me?" Lucius questioned, genuinely surprised that Hermione would put so much effort into making his life easier.

"Yes." Hermione smiled at Lucius. "You're family, and I'd do anything for family."

Lucius smiled back at Hermione, impressed with her ideals. Family had always been one of Lucius's top priorities in life. Even when at times he'd made some bad decisions there was still nothing in the world that meant more to him than Narcissa and Draco, so he was pleased his son had found himself a wife that valued family. As a Malfoy there was nothing more important than family.


	7. Chapter 7

After being unconscious for forty eight hours the first thing Narcissa became aware of was the quiet sound of voices talking. With the pounding in her head it took her a few minutes to recognise the voices as belonging to her husband, son and daughter-in-law. Wondering what on earth Draco and Hermione were doing in England, Narcissa groggily opened her eyes, letting out a small groan as the light made her head pound even more.

"Cissa." Lucius jumped up at the sound Narcissa had emitted and hovered over his wife, checking she was okay. "She's waking up. Draco, go and get the healer."

Narcissa was vaguely aware of someone exiting the room, but her focus was on Lucius. Her husband looked tired and she could see the concern in his eyes as he gently brushed the hair back away from her face.

"You're alright, sweetheart." He said softly. "Don't try and speak. The Healer will be here any second."

Narcissa wanted to ask what was going on, but she didn't have the energy for questions. Instead she shut her eyes and listened to what was happening around her. Just after she shut her eyes she heard the door open and a feminine voice she didn't recognise asked Lucius what had happened.

"Narcissa's awake." Lucius replied. "Well at least she was. She opened her eyes."

"If you give me a few minutes, I'll check Mrs Malfoy over." The healer said as Narcissa opened her eyes yet again.

Once her family had left, Narcissa was thoroughly examined by the healer. The longer she was awake the more responsive she was becoming and after the healer issued her a pain relief potion she began to feel a lot better. She could also remember what had happened in Diagon Alley, and why she was in hospital. Although she was rather shocked to hear it was now Monday afternoon and she'd been unconscious since Saturday.

"I'm satisfied there's no major damage." The healer said as she finished her examination.

"Does that mean I can go home?" Narcissa asked hopefully. She disliked hospitals and would much rather be recovering in her own bed.

"Not today." The healer chuckled. "I want to keep you in overnight for further observation, but I see no reason why you can't be discharged tomorrow. Providing of course that you rest for the remainder of today. You've had a traumatic experience, and you need to rest."

"I don't have the energy to do anything but rest." Narcissa said, already exhausted by her examination and brief talk with the healer.

"How's your head feeling?" The healer checked. "Do you need any more pain relief?"

"It's throbbing, but it's better than when I woke up." Narcissa said.

"That's good." The healer nodded. "Let someone know if the pain gets worse. You had a hefty knock to your head and before we discharge you, I need to be sure you're not nursing any permanent damage."

"Can I see my family now?" Narcissa asked.

"Of course, I'll show them in."

On her way out of the room the healer let Lucius, Draco and Hermione back in the room, although she did warn them that Narcissa was to rest and she wasn't to be overexerted. She also warned them not to question Narcissa too hard and to let her memories of her attack come to her in their own time.

"You're back with us." Lucius smiled at the sight of his wife propped up in bed. "You really had us worried."

"Sorry." Narcissa said as Lucius gave her a gentle peck on the cheek before settling on the bed beside her. "I'm sorry for dragging you two over here as well." She added to Draco and Hermione.

"You don't need to apologise." Draco reassured his mother as he took a seat beside her bed. "We're just pleased you've woken up."

"I can't believe it's being two days." Narcissa said.

"Let's not dwell on that." Lucius said. "The important thing is that you're awake now."

"Did the healer mention when you would be getting out?" Hermione asked.

"She wants me to stay in overnight, but if everything's alright I should be able to go home tomorrow."

"That's excellent news." Hermione smiled at her mother-in-law.

"Yes it is." Lucius agreed. "The Manor just isn't the same without you."

"I know the feeling." Narcissa told her husband. "That's why I went to live in France with Draco. Without you, it just wasn't right in the Manor."

"If you two carry on like this, you're going to make us feel as though we're intruding." Draco joked. "You're like lovesick teenagers, and it's rather nauseating."

"Draco, stop being so mean." Hermione tutted at her husband as she gave him a gentle slap. "You should be pleased your parents are still so happy together after all these years."

"I am, I just don't need to hear them spouting mush about how much they've missed each other." Draco retorted.

"I'm so lucky that I've got such a romantic husband." Hermione said, rolling her eyes at Draco.

"Will you two stop with the bickering." Lucius ordered the couple, before turning to his wife. "Are they always like that?"

"You get used to it." Narcissa smiled wearily.

"You look tired, Narcissa." Hermione said, studying her mother-in-law. "Do you want us to leave so you can rest?"

"Not yet." Narcissa said. "I want to know what's been happening. Have they caught the thief yet?"

"Thief?" Lucius frowned. "What thief?"

"The one that took my bracelet." Narcissa replied. "I was fighting him off when he pushed me and I fell. I felt the catch snap as he pulled it off my wrist."

"Those bumbling idiots, not doing their job correctly." Lucius cursed. "They never raised the possibility of a robbery."

"Who?" Narcissa questioned.

"Harry and Ron." Hermione answered. "They're the Aurors in charge of the case. They were trying to say you were attacked because of Lucius's release, so I had to go and speak to Kingsley this morning. He promised they would take the matter more seriously."

"Yet they still never asked if anything was missing." Draco said. "Incompetent arseholes."

"I think we need to see if anything else is missing." Hermione suggested. "At least when we inform the Aurors that Narcissa is awake we can tell them why she was attacked."

"The mediwitch who first got Narcissa settled into the room stored all her belongings in the cupboard in the corner." Lucius said, pointing at the wooden cupboard that stood over the other side of the room. "No-one ever mentioned robbery as a possible motive, so I never thought to check them over."

Once Draco had retrieved Narcissa's belongings from the cupboard, he tipped them out onto the bed and Lucius sorted through them. Sure enough a sapphire and silver bracelet Narcissa had received on her last birthday from Draco was missing. Lucius confirmed he would have noticed the missing piece if he'd ever been asked to check her belongings since Narcissa wore the bracelet most days and he'd noticed she was wearing it on Saturday.

"I guess I should head to the Ministry and inform them of the situation." Draco said.

"Make sure it's tomorrow or later when they come and see Narcissa." Lucius told his son. "I'm not having them disturbing her today. She needs to rest."

"Don't worry, they'll not be back today." Draco promised. "I'll tell them to visit the Manor tomorrow afternoon."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Hermione offered as her husband stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"I'm fine." Draco said, refusing his wife's offer. "I'll not be long anyway. Why don't you head home and when I'm finished we can go out for dinner. I'm sure mother and father wouldn't say no to a few hours alone."

"That sounds like a great idea." Narcissa said. "You two go and have fun. I don't want you worrying about me."

"We'll be back first thing in the morning." Draco promised his mother as he kissed her goodbye.

Hermione also said goodbye to Narcissa before she and Draco left the hospital room, leaving Lucius and Narcissa to spend some time together. While Hermione headed off to the Manor, Draco headed to the Ministry. Even though it was beginning to turn into evening he suspected there would be someone in the Auror Department that he could speak to. If he was lucky it might not even be Harry and Ron, meaning he wouldn't have to deal with them yet again.

Draco's hopes of not having to deal with Harry and Ron again were soon shattered when he entered the Auror Department and found the two Aurors standing talking to Kingsley. All three men looked up at Draco's arrival, and while Harry and Ron greeted him with an unwelcoming glare Kingsley smiled at the blond wizard and asked how his mother was.

"Mother's awake." Draco told the Minister. "Hopefully she should be discharged tomorrow."

"That's excellent news." Kingsley said, genuinely happy that Narcissa was okay.

"I've also got another bit of news." Draco said, turning his attention to Harry and Ron. "Mother wasn't attacked because of Father's release, she was robbed. Her bracelet is missing. The thief pushed her over when she tried to fight back."

"Why didn't someone say something earlier?" Harry asked the blond. "You've wasted a lot of our time."

"We've wasted your time, that's rich." Draco snorted. "You were the two that never bothered to ask about anything like that. How on earth was Father supposed to know Mother had been robbed?"

"Draco's right, you should have checked this earlier." Kingsley told the two Aurors before either one had a chance to respond. "Especially given the spate of robberies we've had over the last eighteen months."

"No-one's ever been hurt before." Ron argued. "How we were supposed to think about the robberies? It looked like a straight forward attack."

"I suppose you have a point." Kingsley said thoughtfully.

"What's going on?" Draco asked. "What robberies are you talking about?"

"For the last eighteen months we've had a series of robberies." Kingsley explained. "They usually occur in Diagon Alley, or other crowded public places. Someone bumps into the victim and slips a bit of jewellery off them. Half the time the victim doesn't know it's missing until after the thief has long gone. The few people who were aware they were being robbed at the time were taken by surprise by the attack and didn't fight back."

"But mother did and she was hurt." Draco sighed. "I hope you have some leads on this thief."

"We wish." Harry snorted. "Even though we have descriptions and pictures of every piece of jewellery we know he's stolen we haven't found a single trace of it. We even have a few of our undercover agents looking into the possibility they've been sold on the black market, but so far we're coming up with nothing."

"You people really know how to keep the streets safe, don't you?" Draco muttered sarcastically.

"They would be a lost safer if all the Death Eater scum was locked away." Ron retorted with a glare.

"That's enough." Kingsley stepped in between the two men before things got totally out of hand. "Draco, when will it be possible for Harry and Ron to speak with your mother?"

"They can come to the Manor tomorrow afternoon." Draco replied. "I can also find you a picture of Mother wearing her bracelet."

"Thank you, we appreciate the help." Kingsley said.

"Could you give us a description of it before you leave?" Harry asked, deciding to ignore his dislike of the Malfoy's and remain professional. "That way we can log it in as missing today and add the picture tomorrow."

Draco nodded, happy that at least one of the Aurors on the case was being professional. While Ron continued to glare at Draco, he gave Harry a description of Narcissa's stolen bracelet. He also gave the pair a rough time to visit the Manor the following day before he left the Ministry and headed home to Hermione.


	8. Chapter 8

Arriving at the front gates to the Manor, Harry and Ron shared an unimpressed look as they began making their way towards the large house.

"I hate this place." Harry shivered, looking up at the imposing Manor. "You would think after everything that happened here during the war that they would get rid of the place. What person in their right mind wants to live in a house where Voldemort set up headquarters?"

"That would be Death Eaters." Ron replied. "They may claim to have changed, but the Malfoy's will always be dark."

"I wonder if Malfoy's wife is the same way." Harry mused. After Lucius's mysterious comments the previous day both he and Ron were mighty curious about Draco's wife, and what sort of contact they'd ever had with her.

"Probably." Ron shrugged. "She has to approve of what they did or else she wouldn't have married him. She's probably a bloody Slytherin. Possibly Pansy Parkinson."

"I thought she'd married Theo Nott." Harry said. "I could have sworn I heard that a few years ago."

"I don't suppose it matters if it's Parkinson or one of those other pureblood Slytherin snobs, they're all the same." Ron replied.

Harry nodded in agreement as the pair reached the front doors of the Manor. Knocking on the door they stood back to wait for an answer. When the door was opened they found themselves looking at a smiling elf wearing a pink dress and a matching headband.

"We're here to see Mr and Mrs Malfoy." Harry said. "We're Aurors."

"Missy will take you to them." The elf said, letting the pair inside the large entrance hall of the Manor. "Mistress Narcissa and Master Lucius are in the living room."

"Trust the Malfoy's to still have house elves." Ron muttered to Harry as the pair followed Missy out of the entrance hall and into a brightly lit corridor.

After passing several closed doors, Missy knocked on the door at the far end of the corridor before she opened the doors. As the house elf announced their presence, Harry and Ron entered the vast living room. There were three large sofas in the room and Lucius and Narcissa were sitting together on the one nearest to the door. Narcissa still didn't look great and both Harry and Ron thought she should be in bed, rather than sitting downstairs.

"Missy, tell Draco the Aurors are here." Lucius said to the elf. "And bring us some refreshments please."

The elf nodded at Lucius, before turning round and disappearing out of the room. Unsure of what to do, Harry and Ron hovered in the doorway.

"I suppose you better sit down." Lucius told the duo. "Or do you normally conduct your interviews hovering in doorways?"

Ignoring Lucius's dig, Harry and Ron entered the room and settled on the nearest sofa. In order to keep a record of what was said, Ron pulled his notebook from his pocket. However, before either Harry or Ron had a chance to begin the interview, Lucius held up his hand.

"We'll be waiting until Draco and his wife get here." He told the pair. "I know they both want to stay up to date on what's happening."

"Will they be long?" Harry asked. "We don't have all day you know."

"They're in the Manor somewhere." Lucius replied with a shrug. "Although what they're doing and how long they'll be is anyone's guess."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Harry shook his head at his friend. It appeared as though the Malfoy's were going to be difficult, and he saw no reason to play their game. He and Ron could wait patiently until Malfoy and his wife bothered to show their faces.

After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, Missy returned with a tray full of refreshments. The elf had provided tea, coffee, peppermint tea and juice. She also confirmed that she'd spoken to Draco and he was on his way down to the living room. It was nearly another five minutes before the door to the living room opened and Draco appeared.

"Potter, Weasley." Draco nodded at the duo as he entered the room.

Harry and Ron however ignored the blond wizard as their focus was entirely on the witch behind him. Initially they'd turned towards the door eager to see the witch who'd dared to complain about them, but they'd never expected to spot someone they knew so well. The last thing either of them expected was to see Hermione entering the living room at the Manor and looking so at home in the place where she was once tortured and held prisoner.

"Hermione?" Ron gaped at the brunette witch. "How? What? How?"

"You're so articulate, Weasley." Draco snorted.

"Shut it Malfoy." Ron snarled.

"May I remind you that this is our home." Lucius said sternly. "If you're going to be rude we will ask you to leave and we'll be speaking to the Ministry to deal with someone else."

"We should have done that in the first place." Draco muttered.

"Now, now, let's all play nice." Hermione said, shooting her husband a glare that warned him to behave.

"I don't understand." Harry said, still staring at Hermione in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought that would have been obvious." Hermione answered as she sat down on the remaining sofa, with Draco promptly settling down beside her. "I'm here because I'm a Malfoy."

"You're the bitch that complained about us." Ron spat.

"I wasn't joking about throwing you out." Lucius warned, his grey eyes flashing dangerously as he stared at the two Aurors.

"Sorry." Harry said hastily, elbowing Ron in the ribs to shut his friend up. "I don't understand Hermione, why did you complain about us?"

"Because I wasn't happy with the job you were doing." Hermione replied. "Until I complained you weren't taking this seriously. You all but told Lucius this was all his fault for getting released from Azkaban."

"We said nothing of the sort." Ron seethed. "He's lying to you, Hermione."

"Actually it was Narcissa's healer that told me that." Hermione said. "Lucius just told me about your theory, it was the healer that mentioned your dismissive and accusatory attitude."

"This is all because you're mad at us, isn't it?" Ron questioned. "You're still angry about what happened and you're out for revenge."

"I'm not that petty." Hermione said, unimpressed with Ron's accusation. "I would have complained, no matter who the Aurors were. But then again, with other Aurors I probably wouldn't have felt the need to complain."

"You don't deny you're angry though." Ron retorted.

"Actually, I'm not." Hermione admitted. "I stopped being angry a long time ago. Seven years ago I was angry and hurt by your actions, but I've moved on. Until these last few days I haven't given either of you a second thought in years."

"Really?" Harry asked quietly. He was quite upset at the thought that Hermione hadn't thought about them as he'd certainly thought about her over the years.

"Really." Hermione nodded. "Why on earth would I want to think about the two people that broke my heart? I've done my best to forget all about you two and everyone else who deserted me. I don't need people like you in my life."

"But you have people like the Malfoy's in your life." Ron sneered. "They're ten times worse than us, Hermione. All we did was remain neutral during your trial, they did far worse than that in the war."

"You didn't remain neutral, you abandoned me." Hermione argued. She chose to ignore what Ron had said about the Malfoy's during the war since she knew nothing she could say would make him listen to her. "I was on house arrest for months, and neither of you bothered to come and see me. You could have supported me and still had your family, George managed to do both."

"George barely spoke to the family for months." Ron retorted. "And even now he's not as close with us as he used to be."

"That's his choice." Hermione pointed out. "George deliberately distanced himself from the family, not the other way round. He chose to pull back from them because he didn't like the way they treated me, no-one in the family turned against him for backing me."

"How do you know all this?" Harry asked.

"Because unlike some people, George is a true friend." Hermione replied. "We still keep in touch, just like I keep in touch with Kingsley."

"Neither of them have said anything about you." Harry retorted, unimpressed that both Kingsley and George had known where Hermione was all this time and hadn't said a word.

"You'll have to ask them about why that is." Hermione shrugged. "I never asked them to keep our friendships a secret."

"So you know all about our lives?" Ron asked.

"I haven't a clue about your lives, and frankly I'm not interested." Hermione said. "As I said, I don't even think about you anymore. I never speak about you to George or to Kingsley, and that's the way I intend to keep it."

"Now we've all had a nice catch-up, maybe we can get on with the point of your visit." Lucius said to Harry and Ron. He'd thoroughly enjoyed seeing their reaction to Hermione, but Narcissa should really be resting and he wanted the two Aurors gone as soon as possible.

Despite having plenty more they wanted to say to Hermione, Harry and Ron reluctantly turned away from their former friend and began to talk to Narcissa about her attack. Narcissa recounted everything she could remember about the robbery, although she admitted that she didn't get a good look at the perpetrator. Draco also handed the Aurors a photograph in which Narcissa was wearing her bracelet.

"I'm presuming you can enlarge the portion of the picture you want." Draco said. "If not, we can do it the muggle way for you."

"That won't be necessary." Harry snapped at the blond wizard. "We're quite capable of getting what we want from the picture."

"And anything we can do is way better than any muggle nonsense you can come up with." Ron added.

At the insult towards muggles, Hermione glared at Ron causing the redhead to grimace as he realised his mistake. By insulting muggle techniques he was insulting Hermione's heritage, when what he wanted to do was make the point that they didn't need Malfoy's help.

"What are the chances of getting the bracelet back?" Narcissa asked. Since the bracelet was a present from Draco she was rather attached to it.

"Not good, I'm afraid." Harry said sympathetically. "We haven't managed to locate any of the other stolen items."

"Although, if you'd followed our guidelines this wouldn't have happened." Ron added cruelly. He was at all sympathetic towards the Malfoy's, in his opinion they deserved everything they got. "We have warned people not to flaunt their jewellery and riches. But I guess some people can't help themselves."

"I was not flaunting my jewellery." Narcissa snarled. "I was shopping, not waving my hands in the air to show off my jewels."

"You still should have been more careful wearing something so expensive in public." Ron shrugged.

"Are you seriously telling me your advice to people is not to wear expensive jewellery?" Hermione questioned in disbelief. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Our advice is not to flaunt it." Ron retorted. "If you've got something expensive, keep it under lock and key."

"Then what's the point in owning it?" Lucius questioned.

"Exactly, the point in owning jewellery is to wear it." Narcissa said. "Telling people not to wear expensive pieces is just ludicrous."

"If this is the way things are done in this country, I'm glad we've moved." Draco said.

"We're doing all we can to catch this thief." Ron protested.

"It would appear your best isn't good enough." Lucius smirked at the pair. "Now why doesn't that surprise me?"

"I think it's time we were going." Harry said quickly, before Ron had a chance to speak. "There really isn't anything more we can do here, unless you remember anything else about your attack."

"I've told you everything I know." Narcissa said as she stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rest."

Lucius stood up and escorted his wife from the room, even though he would have loved to stick around to see what happened between Hermione and her former friends. However Narcissa was his first priority and he was sure Draco would fill him in on what happened, if anything did happen.

"Weren't you two leaving?" Draco asked when the duo made no attempt to get up from their seats.

"We were. But I was hoping we could speak to Hermione." Harry said. "Alone." He added, looking pointedly at Draco.

"Anything you have to say, you can say in front of Draco." Hermione told her former friends. "Although I really don't know what there is to say. I have no intention of digging up the past."

"Is there really no chance we can fix this?" Harry asked. "We were such good friends, it just seems wrong we've lost touch."

"And whose fault is that?" Hermione snorted. "I wasn't the one who walked away when you needed me. I stood by you through everything you went through with Voldemort. I sent my parents away so I could support you. I could have ran with them, but I chose to stay with you because you were my best friend and I loved you. And how did you repay me? By walking away the one time I needed you."

"You walked away, not us." Ron argued. "We didn't go anywhere, you left the country."

"I left to get away from the pain." Hermione said. "The pain you two caused by abandoning me. All I wanted was your support, and you couldn't even give me that."

"Our support wouldn't have changed things." Harry said gently. "You still wouldn't have your parents, we couldn't have changed that."

"I know that, but I would have still had you two." Hermione argued.

"You can still have us in your life." Harry said. "We're here for you, Hermione."

"It's too late." Hermione shook her head as she stood up. "I needed to hear that seven years ago, not now. I've moved on with my life, and you two are not part of it anymore. I don't want anything to do with either of you."

Without giving Harry and Ron a second glance, Hermione left the living room, leaving her husband to deal with the two Aurors. Draco could escort the pair from the Manor, she was done with them. If Hermione had her way she wouldn't have to set eyes on Harry and Ron again.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - Thanks for all the amazing reviews, this story has gone down really well and I'm so pleased. We're now heading towards the end of the story, but there's still time to include an appearance from my favourite Weasley.**

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><p>With the revelation that Narcissa had been robbed, not just attacked, it became apparent that her attacker wasn't going to be caught any time soon. The robberies had being going on for months and just because Narcissa had become a victim didn't mean the case would be solved any quicker. Despite wanting justice the Malfoy's had to accept that it wasn't guaranteed to happen. There was a very good chance that whoever robbed and attacked Narcissa would never be caught.<p>

With no imminent arrest in sight and Narcissa out of hospital, Draco and Hermione had to decide whether to return home or stick around for a while longer. With trusted deputies running Draco's business and Hermione not having to rush back to work they decided to have a few weeks back in Britain. In that time Hermione could get to know Lucius better, they could spend time with Narcissa as she recovered and they could discuss the possibilities of trying to rearrange Lucius's bail conditions.

After spending a few days at the Manor with Lucius and Narcissa, Draco and Hermione decided to head out for the day. Since neither of them had been back to Britain since they moved to France they decided to begin with a trip to Diagon Alley. Despite her nasty experience there the previous week, Narcissa had mentioned that the street was looking good and had several new shops.

"You'd hardly recognise this place." Hermione remarked as the couple strolled down the street admiring the new look Diagon Alley.

"It's certainly changed." Draco agreed. Even the shops that had been there his entire life had been done up and looked brand new.

"Something's haven't though." Hermione chuckled, gesturing to the large purple shop that was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The joke shop still looked the same as it had done all those years ago, even though it was obvious it had just been redone like all the other shops.

"Are we popping in?" Draco asked. He'd visited the shop a couple of times after it had opened in his school days, but he'd always made sure that neither of the twins were in when he entered, but now he had no problem with entering the shop and seeing George.

"Of course." Hermione replied, taking hold of Draco's hand and leading him into the bright and colourful shop.

The couple took a good look around the shop, with Draco spotting several products he thought might be fun in the new risqué adult section of the shop. When the couple first entered the shop there was no sign of George, but he soon appeared from the back room carrying a box of stock. Once he'd placed the box onto the floor and left his assistants to stock the shelves, Hermione and Draco made their way towards the redhead.

"Hermione." George grinned, sweeping the brunette witch up into a hug.

"Careful George, you'll make Draco jealous." Hermione laughed.

"He is a bit possessive." George joked as Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione the second George let go of her.

"It's a Malfoy trait." Draco smirked. "We don't share our women."

"No man in their right mind would share Hermione." George said. "She's lovely, and you're a very lucky sod to have her."

"I am." Draco agreed. "And speaking of lucky sods, where's your beautiful wife?"

"Ange is out the back." George replied, grinning at the mention of his pregnant wife Angelina. "We're supposed to be doing a stocktake, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind you disturbing us."

"You're making her stocktake? Shouldn't she be resting in her condition?" Hermione tutted as they followed George through to the back of the shop.

"Never mind resting, shouldn't she have given birth by now?" Draco queried.

"Next month." George corrected the blond.

"What's next month?" Angelina asked, popping her head up from behind some boxes. "Hi, Hermione, Draco."

"The baby." George told his wife as he walked over to her and helped pull her up off the floor. "Draco thought you should have already had him."

"I should be so lucky." Angelina grumbled. "I can't wait to get this kid out of me, he does nothing but kick and wriggle around."

"If he's this much trouble now, think what he'll be like once he's born." Hermione laughed.

"I'm trying not to." Angelina replied. "One things for sure, he'll be living up to his name."

"What are you calling him?" Hermione asked. Last time she'd spoken to George and Angelina they were still debating baby names.

"Fred." George said with a smile. "He would have loved that, us naming a kid after him."

"He would." Hermione agreed with a smile. "He would have loved a little Fred running around the place."

"Talking of little ones running around the place, is there any chance of little Malfoy's any time soon?" Angelina asked mischievously. She knew for a fact that Hermione was beginning to get broody, but as far as she knew her friend hadn't broached the subject with her husband.

"Not that I'm aware of." Draco replied.

"But would you like there to be?" Angelina pressed.

"Yeah, it would be good." Draco admitted. "Although first of all, we need to get my parents sorted out."

"We heard about Narcissa." George said. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, just a bit shaken." Draco answered. "But it has made us realise that my parents just aren't safe here. There was no real effort made to solve the crime, and even though they now know it was a robbery we're still not likely to get a result. I just feel like this wouldn't have happened in France, or at least if it did that we would have received more help from the authorities."

"I heard you were complaining." George chuckled. "Harry and Ron were not happy."

"Tough." Hermione snorted. "They should have been professional in the first place then I wouldn't have had to complain. Although I am sorry if I dropped you in it and they had a go at you for keeping in touch with me."

"Their ranting doesn't bother me." George shrugged. "In my opinion they've only got themselves to blame for losing you. They have no right to complain because other people valued your friendship and kept in touch with you."

"Enough about the past." Hermione said, shaking her head to dislodge thoughts of Harry and Ron. "I want to hear more about little Fred. Do you have the nursery and everything sorted?"

While Angelina and Hermione settled down to talk about babies and the preparations for little Fred's arrival, George took Draco off to show him some of his new inventions in the adult range. By the time the Malfoy's left Weasley's Wizard Wheezes an hour later, Draco had a pocket full of saucy goodies George had slipped him while Hermione was elated by the fact Angelina and George had asked her to be godmother to little Fred. The two couple's also had an agreement to have dinner sometime before Draco and Hermione went back to France.

"Where to now?" Draco asked as they exited the shop and emerged into the bright sunlight.

"How about we grab some lunch and head into the muggle world." Hermione suggested. "It's been a long time since I've shopped in muggle London."

Draco was more than happy to go along with his wife's suggestion and after they'd ate the pair headed into muggle London. While Draco was used to muggle France, he'd never really ventured into the muggle world in his home country so he let Hermione take the lead. After showing Draco a few of the tourist sights, the pair ended up looking around the shops.

After visiting a lingerie shop, where the couple had spent a small fortune, the pair were strolling along hand in hand when Draco abruptly stopped. Looking at what had captured her husband's attention, Hermione found they were outside of a small independent jeweller's. Thinking he'd just spotted a piece of jewellery for either her or his mother, Hermione took a look at the display in the window. Instantly she spotted what had caught his attention. Right in the centre of the display was a silver and sapphire bracelet that looked exactly like the one Narcissa had stolen from her.

"I think that's Mother's bracelet." Draco said.

"It might just be a similar one." Hermione said, unsure of what Narcissa's bracelet was doing in a muggle jeweller's.

"It might be, but there's only one way to know for sure." Draco answered. "We need to have a closer look at it."

"Will that tell you if it's Narcissa's?" Hermione asked.

"It had the Malfoy crest engraved in one of the sapphires." Draco said. Every bit of jewellery he bought had the Malfoy crest on them somewhere, even if it was hard to spot unless you knew where to look.

"Did you tell the Aurors that?" Hermione checked, hoping her husband hadn't been holding back information just because he didn't like who they were dealing with.

"Of course." Draco nodded. "Now we need a plan before we go in there. If it is Mother's bracelet one of us needs to go and get the Auror's, while the other one needs to stay here."

"I'll go for the Aurors, you stay here." Hermione said. "But you are not to go around accusing this muggle of theft, until we know the full picture. He could be completely innocent and bought the bracelet in good faith."

"Don't worry, I won't accuse him of anything." Draco reassured his wife. "I just want to make sure he doesn't sell the bracelet to anyone else."

"Okay, we go in and you ask to see the bracelet. If it is Narcissa's we act like we want to buy it but you pretend you've left your wallet at home. I'll volunteer to run back home while you stay in the shop." Hermione said, laying out the plan to her husband.

"You came up with that plan quickly." Draco chuckled.

"I'm married to a Slytherin, I'm used to cunning plans." Hermione replied. "Now let's go."

Heading into the shop the couple played out their plan perfectly. Draco asked to look at the bracelet in the window, and when the jeweller let him examine the bracelet he found the Malfoy crest in one of the sapphires. Telling the jeweller he wanted to buy the piece, Draco then made a show of not having his wallet with him. Considering she was carrying shopping bags, Hermione couldn't claim to have also left her purse behind but she claimed not to have enough money to purchase the bracelet. She then mentioned that they lived nearby and she would pop home and get Draco's wallet.

Leaving Draco with the jeweller, Hermione exited the shop and quickly found a back alley. Checking she couldn't be seen by passing muggles, she pulled out her wand and apparated to the Ministry. Once at the Ministry she got permission to head to the Auror Department, where she found Harry and Ron sitting going over some paperwork.

"Hermione." Harry looked up in shock as their former friend appeared beside their desks. "We didn't expect to see you again."

"This isn't a social call. I made my feelings towards the pair of you very clear, I have no desire to reignite our friendship." Hermione said, causing the hopeful looks to fade from the faces of the two Aurors. "I've just come to inform you that Draco and I have found Narcissa's bracelet. We were in muggle London when we spotted it in the window of a jeweller's."

"How can you be sure it's the same one?" Ron asked moodily, still stinging from the brush off Hermione had just given them. "The bracelet isn't a one-off. We checked and there was a whole series of them made."

"But only one has the Malfoy crest engraved into one of the stones." Hermione said. "We're not stupid, we went inside and Draco looked at the bracelet. It's definitely Narcissa's."

"Where's the bracelet now?" Harry asked.

"Draco stayed behind to make sure it wasn't sold." Hermione said.

"Since we're heading into the muggle world we'll need a few minutes to get some stuff together." Harry said to Hermione. "But once we get there, I want you and Malfoy to leave. I promise we'll be in touch when we've investigated, but you need to leave this to us."

"That's fine." Hermione nodded. She trusted Harry and Ron to do a good job this time as now they had their first lead in the robberies and it could lead to them solving the case.

Hermione had to wait for nearly ten minutes while Harry and Ron got ready. Once they were sorted, she apparated them back to muggle London and led them to the jeweller's. At the jeweller's she took a complaining Draco away, leaving Harry and Ron to question the jeweller and investigate what he was doing with Narcissa's bracelet.

"Why are we going?" Draco asked his wife as she hurried him into an alley so they could head back to the Manor.

"We're not Aurors, Draco. Let Harry and Ron handle this."

"And you trust them? After the mess they made of the initial investigation?" Draco queried.

"It's different this time. This isn't just about Narcissa's bracelet, this is about a spate of robberies that have affected lots of people. They'll act on anything they could give them a lead in the case." Hermione said. "Harry promised to keep me informed, and if he doesn't I can always speak to Kingsley again."

Agreeing that Hermione was right and the pair of Aurors had more motivation to investigate properly, Draco headed back to the Manor with his wife where the couple informed Lucius and Narcissa of their discovery. Hopefully things would now get moving with the case and they might just see justice served after all.


	10. Chapter 10

Three days after finding Narcissa's bracelet, there was still no sign of the Aurors getting in touch with the Malfoy's. Lucius and Draco wanted to get in touch with the Ministry to find out what was happening, but Hermione had persuaded them to hold off for a few days. Hermione was still convinced that Harry and Ron would be in touch when they had some information, but she was working overtime to ensure that Draco and Lucius didn't kick off.

"I still think we should be thinking of speaking to Kingsley." Draco complained as he and Hermione settled in the living room after lunch.

Narcissa was still having headaches due to her attack so she'd gone to lie down. Lucius had gone with his wife, leaving Hermione and Draco to entertain themselves for the afternoon.

"And I still say we need to give them a few more days." Hermione argued. "They won't want to get in touch until they have something to tell us, and it'll take time for them to investigate properly."

"We give them one more day." Draco told his wife. "If we haven't heard anything by tomorrow afternoon, we're going to the Ministry."

Hermione nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue with Draco once he'd made his mind up. "So now that's sorted, how are we going to spend the afternoon?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something." Draco smirked wickedly at his wife, before connecting their lips in a searing kiss.

Knowing Lucius and Narcissa wouldn't be back downstairs for quite a while, Hermione let herself be pulled down on the large sofa with her husband. In a flurry of heated kisses the pair nestled themselves on the sofa, with Hermione half lying over Draco.

"You know the other day when we saw George and Angelina." Hermione began as Draco nuzzled at her neck. "Did you mean what you said about kids? That it would be nice to have some."

Draco looked up from Hermione's neck and saw the hope burning in her eyes. It was very clear to him that Hermione had considered having children, although why she hadn't broached the subject before now was a bit of mystery.

"Yes, I meant it." He confirmed.

"So you wouldn't be opposed to start trying for a baby?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"We can start right now." Draco told his wife as his hand slipped under her skirt. "I can always summon some of that body paint I got off George."

In among the goodies he'd gotten from George was a tub of body paint, that tasted different depending what part of the body it was smeared on. The previous evening the couple had thoroughly enjoyed checking it out and seeing what flavours they could taste.

"I think we used it all." Hermione said. "It was only a small tub."

"That was you who used it all." Draco argued. "You kept smearing it on me."

"I didn't hear you complaining when I was licking it off." Hermione retorted with a seductive grin. "Besides, the body part I was using tasted like banana and I love bananas."

"I liked it on your breasts, they tasted like cherries." Draco chuckled.

"Well unfortunately my breasts are cherry free today. Does that mean you're not interested?" Hermione asked.

"I'm always interested." Draco grinned as he dipped his head and engaged his wife in a long drawn out kiss that ended the conversation.

Five minutes later the pair were just divesting each other of their clothes when there was a knock on the door. Ignoring it, Draco continued to remove Hermione's top, but whoever was knocking tried a second time.

"Go away." Draco shouted, knowing it would just be a house elf at the door.

"But Master Draco, the Aurors are here." Missy called back through the door.

"Shit." Draco swore as he tore himself away from Hermione. "Those two have really bad timing." He muttered to Hermione, before shouting for Missy to wait a few minutes.

"Tell me about it." Hermione said, as she wriggled back into her top and made sure her skirt was smoothed down.

"You can come in now." Draco called when he and Hermione were both presentable. it wouldn't take a genius to work out what they'd been doing considering they were both a bit flushed, but he really didn't care if Potter and Weasley knew him and Hermione had been having a bit of afternoon fun.

Draco couldn't help but smirk to himself when Harry and Ron entered the room. Both of them were bright red and they kept their eyes diverted from the couple before a quick peek revealed that all was in order and they were perfectly presentable.

"Missy, go and get Mother and Father." Draco told the elf.

"But Master Lucius said not to disturb them." Missy said timidly. "Mistress Narcissa was going for a lie down."

"Just knock on the bedroom door and let them know the Aurors are here." Hermione told the elf. "You don't have to go into the room."

With a relieved look, Missy apparated away to inform Lucius and Narcissa they had company. Once the elf was gone Harry and Ron took a seat and Hermione politely asked if they wanted any refreshments.

"No thank you." Harry answered. "We can't stay long. We just called to update you on the case."

Not wanting to go over the information twice, Harry lapsed into silence as they waited for Lucius and Narcissa to arrive. Instead of sitting staring moodily at the floor, like Ron was doing, he took the opportunity to really study Hermione. She was sitting as close to Draco as it was possible for her to get without her being on his lap and the pair were talking quietly together. Draco's fingers were constantly running through her curls, and he could feel the electricity between them from across the room. Harry could also admit that he'd never seen Hermione as content as she was with Draco, and even though he didn't like the blond Slytherin it was obvious he made Hermione happy.

Harry's observations were cut short after a few minutes when Lucius and Narcissa strode into the room. The pair looked their normal impeccable selves, and if he hadn't known they'd been in the bedroom he never would have guessed. Unlike Hermione and Draco who both looked flushed when they entered the room, Lucius and Narcissa looked as composed as ever.

"I'm assuming you have news for us." Lucius said, getting straight to the point.

"Not a lot I'm afraid." Harry said with a sigh. "We searched the jeweller's where the bracelet was found and discovered no sign of any more stolen jewellery. We spoke to the muggle who owned the place and we're confident he bought the bracelet in good faith, he had no idea it was stolen. He even checked a register the muggle police provide for jewellers, but of course the bracelet wasn't on the list."

"Could he give you a description of who sold the bracelet to him?" Hermione asked.

"The description was vague at best, and to be honest we're not even sure if it's any good to us. With polyjuice potion and glamour's there's a possibility the jeweller never even saw the true identity of the person he was dealing with." Harry answered.

"Providing of course he was dealing with the thief." Ron added. "The person who sold the jewellery could have been a middle man."

"So in other words you're still no better off." Draco scoffed, shaking his head at the duo.

"It's going to be a long road to catching the thief, but at least we have somewhere to start now." Harry retorted sharply. "We're going to start looking in the muggle world for the jewellery."

"That's not going to be easy." Hermione pointed out. "Muggle Britain is way bigger than wizarding Britain. It could take you years to trawl through every jeweller's, and a lot of the jewellery has probably been sold onto muggles."

"We know how big the task is, but it's the best lead we've got." Ron snapped.

Harry shot his friend a warning glare before he pulled a box from his pocket and handed it to Narcissa. When Narcissa opened the box she was shocked to find her bracelet nestled inside.

"You're returning my bracelet?" Narcissa questioned. "Isn't it evidence?"

"We have pictures of the bracelet and proof of where it was found." Harry said. "And to be honest if we kept it as evidence it could be years before you got it back. We may have a new lead in the case, but still might not be enough. We can't guarantee we can catch the thief."

"Thank you for returning my bracelet." Narcissa said as she immediately put it on. "I appreciate it."

"We will keep you informed of any developments in the case." Harry reassured the family as he and Ron stood up.

"Just don't hold our breath." Draco muttered.

Ron glared at the blond, but Harry nodded in understanding. He could understand the family's frustrations in them not being able to offer them any possibility of catching the thief any time soon. It bothered him that eighteen months after the first reported robbery that they were still no nearer to catching the perpetrator.

Once Harry and Ron had left the Malfoy's discussed the fact they might never discover who had robbed Narcissa and put her in hospital. While it was annoying that they possibly wouldn't get justice they had to appreciate the fact it could have been a lot worse. The important thing was that Narcissa was okay and luckily she even had her bracelet back.

"Now I guess the only thing left to sort out is Lucius's bail conditions." Hermione said. "If we're agreed it's something we want to do, I can go and talk to Kingsley tomorrow."

"It's what we all want." Narcissa confirmed.

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><p>The day after visiting the Manor to return Narcissa's bracelet, Harry and Ron were surprised to be called into Kingsley's office. They were both wary that Hermione or one of the other Malfoy's had complained yet again, but Kingsley reassured them that he hadn't heard from any of the family since their visit to the Manor the previous day.<p>

"I do however want to discuss your handling of the case." Kingsley told the duo. "I have not been impressed with your actions these last few days. You let your personal feelings towards the Malfoy's cloud your judgement."

"To be fair, we had no idea we were dealing with a robbery at the beginning." Harry defended.

"That doesn't matter." Kingsley said. "You dismissed the case within minutes of getting handed it, and if Hermione hadn't complained who knows if you ever would have bothered investigating properly."

"We would." Ron muttered.

"I'm not interested in listening to your excuses." Kingsley said. "I'm not happy with the pair of you, and I want you both to know that I'll be keeping an eye on you from now on. If we have another incident like this, I'll be forced to reconsider your positions as investigative Aurors. Let's hope your work on the robberies can make amends for your recent behaviour."

Harry and Ron both opened their mouths to argue, but the frosty look the Minister shot their way had them closing them again. Before Kingsley had a chance to either say more or dismiss the pair, his assistant knocked and poked her head around the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Minister, but Mrs Malfoy is here to see you."

"Send her in." Kingsley said. "Harry and Ron are just leaving."

"Is she here to complain again?" Ron demanded as Hermione entered the room.

"Why would I be complaining?" Hermione asked. "Since I spoke to Kingsley last time, you've been very professional."

"Now, I think you two should leave so I can speak to Hermione." Kingsley told the two Aurors.

Hermione waited until Harry and Ron had left the office before she mentioned the reason why she was visiting Kingsley. Kingsley listened to everything Hermione had to say about Lucius's bail conditions with interest. Hermione had thought the whole thing through, and apart from a change of address for Lucius everything else would remain the same. His magic would still be monitored and either the French Aurors could conduct his checks, or he could even floo to the British Ministry.

"I'll have to speak with the French government, but providing they have no issues I can't see there being a problem with Lucius moving to France." Kingsley said. "Although I take it this move means you won't be returning home anytime soon."

"I don't think that was ever a serious possibility, but this past week has just confirmed our decision." Hermione replied. "It's no reflection on you Kingsley, but we just don't feel Narcissa was given the best treatment by the Aurors."

"I completely agree with you." Kingsley said with a sigh. He wished he didn't share Hermione's views on Harry and Ron's behaviour, but he did. "And given the treatment you've received, I'm sure you're now going to think I'm a bit cheeky asking you for a favour."

"A favour?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at the Minister. "Now I'm intrigued."

"It's regarding the robberies." Kingsley said. "We plan on placing a tracking device on a piece of jewellery and hopefully follow it to the thieves. I was hoping you might volunteer to be our victim. So far all our victims have been affluent people and since your trip to Diagon Alley the other day, word has spread that you're the new Mrs Malfoy."

"And you're hoping the fact I'm married to a rich man will make me a target." Hermione stated.

"I am." Kingsley confirmed with a nod.

"I'm more than happy to help, although I do have one question." Hermione replied. "Why have you never tried this before? Why wait so long to try it?"

"Actually we did try the same trick early on in the case and it was unsuccessful." Kingsley sighed. "One of the first pieces stolen had a built in charm to locate the piece, but all attempts to activate the spell failed. We presumed the thieves had disabled the spell almost as soon as they had the jewellery, so we decided to try the same trick ourselves with a more sophisticated spell. It took us several months, but finally the piece of jewellery we'd implanted the charm on was snatched. Unfortunately the spell failed to lead us to the jewellery and the whole thing cost the Ministry thousands of galleons in insurance premiums. We thought we were dealing with very smart thieves who were disabling the spells immediately, but now we know the jeweller was moving into the muggle world, rendering our tracking spells useless. However, we now have a new tracking spell in place that will work in the muggle world."

"As I said, I'm happy to help. Although Draco and I will be returning to France shortly." Hermione warned Kingsley."What will you do if I'm not robbed before then?"

"If the bracelet isn't stolen from you we'll try using someone else, but any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated." Kingsley told the brunette witch with a grateful smile. "In the meantime, I promise I will do everything in my power to ensure Lucius can move to France. And don't forget, if you ever change your mind and want to return home, we'll have a job ready for you in an instant."

As she always was when he made it clear there was a job for her at the British Ministry, Hermione was flattered. But her life was in France, and once Lucius and Narcissa were able to join them their entire family would be together. And more than anything in the world, family was what mattered to Hermione. After what had happened with her parents she was holding tight to the family she now had, and no matter what she wasn't letting go of them.

Hermione remained in Kingsley's office for another ten minutes, discussing how she could help. Agreeing to come back to the Ministry the following day, Hermione said her goodbyes to the Minister and headed home to inform her family of the role she was going to play in hopefully catching the thieves that had robbed Narcissa and landed her in hospital.


	11. Chapter 11

"I still don't like this." Draco muttered as he watched his wife getting ready to head to Diagon Alley.

Hermione was preparing for her third and final trip before the couple headed home to France in a few days' time. Over the last week, Hermione had been to Diagon Alley twice wearing the flashy bracelet the Ministry had enchanted with a tracking spell. Hermione had deliberately made sure the bracelet was on full display both times, but neither time had resulted in her been robbed.

"The Ministry should have professionals doing this, not just ordinary members of the public." Draco continued. He'd tried to talk Hermione out of being involved in the plan, but his wife was stubborn and had refused to sit back when she could be helping the Ministry. "What happens if you end up the same way as Mother? What if you end up in hospital?"

"I won't end up in hospital." Hermione reassured her husband as she walked over to where he was sitting on the bed and perched beside him. They'd had the exact same conversation the previous two times she'd gone to Diagon Alley wearing the bracelet, but she could understand why Draco was so worried after what had happened to his mother. "If this works and someone tries to steal my bracelet, I'll let them have it. I won't fight back, and I won't be hurt."

"You better not be." Draco sighed, brushing Hermione's cheek with his hand. "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

"Nothing's going to happen, I promise." Hermione responded. Giving Draco a small smile she briefly pressed her lips against his, before she stood up and grabbed her bag. "I better be going."

"Be careful." Draco pleaded. He didn't trust the Aurors to do their jobs and keep Hermione safe, even though Kingsley had personally reassured him that no harm would come to his wife.

Promising to be careful, Hermione gave Draco one final kiss before she left the bedroom and headed to Diagon Alley. Hermione's natural instincts made her want to scour her surroundings for potential thieves, but she was very aware that she had to act normally. If she was constantly looking around and looking wary no thief in their right mind would target her, she had to look like a normal shopper.

Trying to forget about the bracelet around her wrist and its purpose there, Hermione set about doing her shopping. After browsing several shops, and picking up a few bits and bobs, she briefly popped into the joke shop to say hello to George before she headed for Flourish and Blotts. Once in the bookshop, Hermione soon got totally distracted and within minutes she was immersed in a land of literature.

Hermione had been in Flourish and Blotts for nearly half an hour when it happened. She was browsing through a new selection of wizarding mysteries when someone bumped into her from behind and their hand subtly closed around her wrist in a pretence to stop her from losing her balance. Before Hermione had a chance to say or do anything, the person who bumped into her muttered a low apology and sloped off out of the shop. The second Hermione was alone she looked down at her wrist and found her suspicions confirmed. The bracelet was gone.

Quickly paying for the books she wanted, Hermione left Flourish and Blotts and headed to the Ministry. Walking straight past reception with the visitor pass Kingsley had provided her with she made her way to the Auror Department. With such a big operation taking place the entire Department was involved and Hermione found Kingsley and Amelia Bones in the centre of the action.

"I'm assuming you know the bracelet is gone." Hermione said.

The plan was for the Auror Department to monitor the signal on the bracelet the entire time and the second it left Diagon Alley, they were to act from there. The last time they hadn't been monitoring the signal all the time and by the time they tried to trace it, the jewellery was already in muggle London and out of range. However this time the plan was to monitor the signal from the second Hermione had arrived in Diagon Alley. If the bracelet hadn't been stolen and it was Hermione leaving Diagon Alley, the plan was for her to return to the Ministry so they knew nothing had happened. And if the bracelet had been stolen, as it had been, she was still to report to the Ministry to give her statement and wait for news of potential arrests.

"The signal left Diagon Alley just over five minutes ago." Kingsley told Hermione. "Harry, Ron and a small team are tracing it."

"How do you decide when to make a move?" Hermione asked, looking at the map that was laid out on one of the desks with a green light indicating the bracelet's current whereabouts.

"That decision falls to Harry and Ron as lead investigators." Amelia explained frostily. She wasn't at all happy with a civilian's involvement in the case, especially one who'd once undergone a criminal trial for using magic she wasn't qualified to do, but the Minister had insisted that Hermione and the Malfoy's be kept in the loop.

"We have discussed it, and we want to try and get the bracelet before it enters the muggle world." Kingsley told Hermione. "At the minute the bracelet looks to be stationary. If it remains in the same place much longer, Harry and Ron will move in."

"I'm going to go and floo Draco." Hermione said, wanting to leave the Aurors to do their work. "I don't want him worrying about me."

"I'll come with you and you can use the floo network in my office." Kingsley volunteered. "Amelia, come and get me when we have some news."

"Yes, Minister." Amelia nodded as Kingsley exited the Department with Hermione by his side.

Kingsley and Hermione walked to the Minister's office in silence, and when they arrived Kingsley waited outside his office while Hermione spoke to her husband. Kingsley even suggested that Draco head to the Ministry in case they got a result that day, which he was desperately hoping they did. Although even one lead would be welcome considering the lack of breaks they'd had on the case.

Once Draco arrived at the Ministry, he joined Hermione and Kingsley in the Minister's office and the trio began to discuss what would happen if any arrests were made.

"Will Mother or Hermione have to testify in court?" Draco asked.

"That will all depend on how much the thieves, or thief, tell us." Kingsley answered. "If they confess, no witnesses will be needed at the trial. But even if they don't, I'm not sure how much use any witness statement will be. Unless Hermione can provide a description or anything, none of the other victims have been able to help in that respect. A good portion of them didn't notice the robbery until sometime later, while the ones that were aware of the robbery can only describe a figure in dark robes."

"I'm afraid I can't help you either." Hermione admitted. "I was approached from behind, and he slipped the bracelet off when he bumped into me. I got a glimpse of him leaving the shop, but all I saw was someone of average height in dark robes. To be honest if I hadn't been expecting a robbery, I might not have noticed him taking the bracelet. It was very smooth and clearly well practised."

"Basically, we have to wait and see what happens once Potter and Weasley make their move, don't we." Draco concluded. "Let's hope that they can do their jobs correctly this time."

"Harry and Ron are very good Aurors." Kingsley told Draco. "I know you haven't had much experience of that, but I promise you that they're good at their jobs. They won't let us down today."

"Let's hope you're right." Draco muttered.

Ten minutes later it seemed Kingsley was right and Harry and Ron had proved they could do their jobs when Amelia knocked on the Minister's door and announced five arrests had been made. Promising to keep Draco and Hermione up to date with what was happening, Kingsley excused himself and went to check out the suspects his Aurors were bringing into custody.

"I hope we're going to get answers." Hermione sighed as she and Draco remained in Kingsley's office. "I just want to go home and forget all about these robberies."

"Me too." Draco agreed. "I want to go home and concentrate on extending our family. By this time next year, I would love to have a baby or be expecting one."

Hermione agreed with her husband, and the pair proceeded to pass the time by discussing their plans for the future. For over an hour the couple discussed their desire to start a family, as well as deciding that they would both like more than one child. They were both only children and agreed it would be nice for their children to have siblings. Besides, Hermione wanted a little boy like Draco to carry on the family name while Draco wanted a little girl that would be a miniature version of his wife.

Just as the couple were beginning to wonder if they'd been forgotten about the door opened and Kingsley entered the office followed by Harry and Ron. While Kingsley settled himself behind his desk, Harry and Ron pulled up chairs beside Hermione and Draco.

"I'm pleased to announce we've caught the team of thieves." Kingsley smiled at the couple. "We've arrested five people. One is the ringleader and brains behind the operation, while the other four are the lackeys and carry out the menial work."

"Have they confessed to all the robberies?" Draco asked.

"Yes." Harry answered. "The four young ones are spilling everything. By the end of the day we'll have full details on every single robbery."

"Do we get any more details, or are they confidential?" Hermione asked. She was dying to hear the full story, but she knew that there was a good chance that her and Draco wouldn't be allowed to hear all the details.

"I trust you both to be discreet, so I can allow you to know the bare facts." Kingsley answered, before nodding to Harry and Ron to take over the story.

"The mastermind of the entire thing is Mundungus Fletcher." Ron announced.

"Mundungus Fletcher, a mastermind. I bet it's the first time he's been called that." Hermione laughed. "But seriously, is he really behind all this?"

"We were shocked too." Harry admitted. "In fact we actually looked into him when the robberies first began, considering his background in thievery. However, he was clean. He wasn't moving the pieces through any of his known sources, and they weren't turning up anywhere in wizarding Britain. As far as we could see, he wasn't involved."

"How on earth did he manage to sell the items in the muggle world?" Hermione questioned. "From what I remember of him, he had very limited knowledge of muggles and their world."

"That's the clever bit. Mundungus didn't actually sell the pieces himself." Ron explained. "He's has a group of four lads working for him, all of whom have left Hogwarts in the last couple of years with barely any qualifications. Two of them are tasked with stealing the jewellery, while the other two sell it on in the muggle world. They all get a cut from each robbery, although we're guessing Mundungus keeps the majority of his earnings."

"That's quite smart, using other people to do your dirty work." Hermione begrudgingly admitted.

"How did they know who to rob though?" Draco asked. "Did Fletcher tell them, or did the lads pick the targets?"

"Mundungus picked the targets." Harry said. "He would take the lads into Diagon Alley or someplace crowded, and search for a victim. Once he found someone suitable he would point them in the right direction and leave before the robbery took place."

"If he left before I was robbed, how did you pick him up?" Hermione asked. "Did the others lead you to him?"

"No, we raided a house and found all five of them together." Harry answered. "After the robbery they all meet at this old house belonging to Mundungus. He likes to check the jewellery is authentic before sending it off into the muggle world with a minimum price they're to get for it. The whole thing takes place fairly quickly. Within an hour of a robbery happening the jewellery is in the muggle world."

"What about the money?" Hermione questioned. "Muggle money won't be any good to Mundungus and he can hardly go around changing it at Gringotts without drawing suspicion to himself."

"Mundungus himself is keeping pretty quiet on the subject, but one of his accomplices reckons he's got a guy on the black market that exchanges the money for him at a better rate than Gringotts." Ron supplied. "Hopefully we can get his name and arrest him as well."

"But these five will be charged with the robberies?" Draco checked.

"They will." Kingsley confirmed.

"Thank you." Hermione said, directing her thanks to her former friends. "We appreciate you catching the people who put Narcissa in hospital."

"We'll find out which one actually did the robbery on Narcissa and he'll be charged with assault as well." Harry said.

Draco nodded in appreciation as he and Hermione stood up to leave. After saying goodbye to Kingsley and thanking him for letting them know what had happened, Draco and Hermione left the Minister's office. The couple had almost reached the elevators at the end of the corridor before a shout behind them stopped them in their tracks. Turning round they found Harry and Ron hurrying towards them.

"Hermione, we need to apologise." Harry said, panting slightly from running along the corridor to catch up with the brunette witch before she left the building.

"What for?" Hermione questioned. "We've dealt with the case, and after your initial difficulties the pair of you have been nothing but professional."

"Our apology isn't in regards to the case." Harry said. "We're apologising for our past behaviour. We shouldn't have abandoned you during your trial. We should have stood by you like George did."

"I appreciate your apology, but it's too late." Hermione said with a shake of her head. She didn't for one minute think the apology was genuine, it seemed more like her former friends were apologising because they thought it was what she wanted to hear. "You can't change the past, and you can't change the fact you weren't there for me when I needed you. I'm sorry, but I have no place for you in my life anymore."

"But, we're sorry." Ron said, unable to grasp why Hermione didn't instantly forgive them and offer them the hand of friendship.

"Sorry doesn't change what happened." Hermione shrugged. "Goodbye boys."

Taking hold of Draco's hand, Hermione headed into the waiting lift, where the doors shut on the dismayed faces of her former friends. Part of Hermione wished she'd been able to forgive them and re-establish a friendship with the pair, but she knew it wasn't possible. No matter what they said now, they'd still abandoned her when she needed them the most and she would never be able to forgive them for that. Luckily her life was now full of people that would never abandon her and would always be there for her when she needed them.

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><p><strong>AN – Thanks to all who've read this story and given me such great feedback. There's just a small epilogue to follow tomorrow. Thanks again, and I hope you've enjoyed this story. **


	12. Epilogue

**Two Years Later.**

While the rest of her family was in the garden, enjoying the summer sun, Hermione was fussing around inside the house. It was her daughter, Carina's first birthday and she wanted everything to be perfect for her little girl. Within a few months of Draco and Hermione deciding to start a family, Hermione had fallen pregnant and a year ago she'd given birth to Carina. In honour of her first birthday Hermione and Draco had decided to throw a small party for their friends and family, which was why Hermione was fussing over last minute details.

After double checking all the food was spread out over the dining table, Hermione headed into the kitchen to ensure the selection of drinks was adequate. As she was doing so the back door opened and Lucius entered the kitchen. Lucius and Narcissa now lived nearby at the Malfoy Chateau, and had done since the French Ministry agreed to the change in Lucius's bail conditions two years ago.

When Harry and Ron heard about the proposed change they tried to object but Kingsley wouldn't be budged and he signed off on Lucius moving to France. Hermione wasn't sure if Harry and Ron's objections were down to the fact they still thought Lucius should be in Azkaban or if they were a result of them not being happy that Hermione had rejected their pitiful attempts at trying to salvage their friendship. In that end she decided that there was probably a bit of both reasons playing a part in their objections.

"Draco sent me to come and get you." Lucius told his daughter-in-law. "He says stop fussing, and come and play with Carina."

"I just want to make sure everything is perfect for this afternoon." Hermione said.

"Hermione, everything is great." Lucius said. "We've got enough food and drink for dozens of people. The important thing is that people enjoy themselves, especially Carina, and I'm sure she would rather spend time with her mother then have her fussing in the kitchen."

Agreeing that Lucius was right, Hermione headed outside into the garden with her father-in-law. Narcissa and Draco were lying with Carina in the middle of the lawn on a large blanket, and Hermione and Lucius joined them. A few years ago Hermione never would have pictured Lucius as the type of person who would sit on the floor, but he was more than happy to be on the lawn with his family, especially Carina whom he doted on.

Half an hour later the first guests began to arrive so Hermione and Draco left Carina in her grandparents care as they greeted their guests. Most of their friends were from France, but they were expecting a few arrivals from England including Neville and his wife, Luna, who were among the first to arrive. Welcoming their friends, Draco and Hermione told them to help themselves to food and to head out into the garden. As the house began to fill up with their friends, Draco and Hermione ended up separated and Hermione could find no sign of her husband when the floo network lit up and Kingsley stepped from the flames.

"Kingsley." Hermione smiled at the British Minister. "I'm so pleased you came."

"I wasn't going to miss Carina's birthday." Kingsley replied. "And speaking of the birthday girl, where is she?"

"She's in the garden with Lucius and Narcissa." Hermione said.

"I'll go and say hello." Kingsley said as he set off into the garden.

Since the robberies, Kingsley had become quite friendly with both Lucius and Narcissa. Kingsley had personally kept the family up to date during the trial and he'd been the one to deliver the news that Mundungus and his accomplices had all been sent to Azkaban for several years. The wizard who'd carried out the robbery on Narcissa had also faced a charge of assault and he'd had an extra year added onto his sentence.

The sound of the floo network sounding again dragged Hermione out of her thoughts. Turning around she grinned widely as she spotted George and Angelina emerging from the flames with little Fred. The second the two year old saw Hermione he started wriggling in Angelina's arms and reaching for his godmother.

Hermione being godmother to little Fred was a slight sore point with the Weasley's, but George and Angelina had insisted. Fred's christening had been the last time Hermione had seen Harry and Ron and they'd pretty much ignored her and Draco for the entire duration of the event. The duo had clearly sulking from the last time they'd spoken and the fact Hermione had made it clear their friendship was well and truly over. The rest of the Weasley's hadn't been much better and apart from a few words exchanged with the likes of Bill and Charlie, the rest of the family also ignored her and Draco.

"Hi, little monster." Hermione cooed, lifting Fred into her arms.

"How on earth do you do that?" Angelina asked, looking on in amazement as Fred was content to just sit in Hermione's arms. When she was holding him he spent his entire time wriggling around. "Whenever we visit you, he's an angel. I swear he's not normally this good."

"He is entering the terrible twos." Hermione laughed.

"Those started the second he was born." Angelina replied with a smile.

"What did you expect having a kid with George?" Hermione chuckled. "Any kid of George's was bound to be trouble."

"Hey." George protested. "I'm not that bad."

"Yes, you are." Angelina told her husband. "Sometimes I feel like I've got two children, not one."

"Tell me about it." Hermione said. "I feel the same with Draco. Sometimes he's more of a handful than Carina."

"Speaking of which, where are Draco and Carina?" George asked.

"Carina's outside being made a fuss of, and I haven't seen Draco since Blaise arrived. Knowing them two they'll be cooking up trouble together." Hermione replied, handing Fred back to Angelina.

"Excellent." George grinned at the thought of two Slytherins to team up with. "Oh, before I go, I have a present for you."

"Shouldn't you be bringing presents for Carina?" Hermione asked as George handed her a small box.

"Ange has Carina's present." George answered. "That is for you and Draco. I know how much you like my body paint, so I thought I would give you a tub of my newest kind. All the flavours are tropical and exotic."

"It's really good." Angelina said to Hermione. "We used loads of it while George was sorting out the flavours. The end result is amazing."

"Thanks." Hermione told George with a chuckle. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun with your present."

"That's the aim." George grinned, before hurrying off to find Draco and Blaise.

When Hermione and Angelina arrived outside with little Fred the three wizards were sitting talking at the bottom of the garden. Exchanging an amused look, Hermione and Angelina made their way over to where Narcissa and Lucius were sitting with Carina. Angelina put Fred down on the rug and he immediately toddled over to Carina and sat down next to her.

The rest of the afternoon was spent out in the sun, enjoying Carina's first birthday. All the guests had plenty to eat and drink and Carina was one spoiled little girl with all the attention and presents she received.

Hermione also thoroughly enjoyed the day and by the end of it she was grateful for the wonderful friends and family she had. There were lots of times when she wished things were different with her parents, but she at least knew they were safe and happy and that was something. Although now she had surrogate parents in Lucius and Narcissa, and while they never tried to take the place of her parents, Hermione knew they would always be there for her. She was family, and to the Malfoy's, family was what mattered the most in life.

**The End.**

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><p><strong>AN – Thanks to everyone who has read this story. As always the amazing support I receive is greatly appreciated and also very humbling. **

**With Christmas coming up I won't be posting any other longer stories this year (Wedding Bells will have to do as a longer story). I do however have a few one shots and Christmas stories coming up. **


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